spken arabic from lebanon

SPOKENLEBANESE

MP3 files of dialogs in the book, Spoken Lebanese,may be downloaded from:

www.parkwaypublishers.com/spokenlebaneseI

,Maditerrarna·anSeo

SPOKENLEBANESE

Maksoud N. f'€qhali l Ph. D.

Parkway Publishers, Inc.Box 3678, Boone, NC 28607

Copyright © 1998 by Maksoud N. Feghali, Ph. D.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproducedin any form without written permissionfrom the publisher and author.

Published in the United States.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Feghali, Maksoud Nayef.Spoken Lebanese / Maksoud N. Feghali. -1st ed.

p. cm.ISBN 1-887905-14-61. Arabic language--Dialects--Lebanon. 2. Arabic

language--Conversation and phrase books--English.1. Title.PJ6810.3.F44 1999492.7'7--dc21 99-10479

CIPFirst Edition

Book Design by Christopher FriscoCover Design by Christopher Frisco & Beth Jacquot

The pictures used to introduce chapters 3, & 6 through15 were used with permission of the Lebanon Ministryof Tourism.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To my mother Camilia, and the blessed soulof my father Nayef for their inspiration;

To my wife Maguy, and my children Andrew,Mario and Peter for being proud of our

heritage, and for their love, advice, and sacrifice;

To my dear colleague Dr. William Hutchinsfor his sensitive and experienced

reading of this manuscript;

To my brother Elie, for his trust andcontinuous encouragement;

To all my immediate family, brothers, sisters,nephews, nieces, sisters-in-law, and theirfamilies, for their support and feedback;

I am more grateful than I could ever say.

Spoken Lebanese

CONTENTS

Introduction

Phonetic System iv

Greetings & Formalities

Socializing & Family Members 7

Dates & Numbers 18

Post Office & Telephone 30

Biographical Information & Transportation 44

Directions & Road Conditions 57

Food & Nutrition 70

Clothing 84

Health & Medical Problems 96

Professions & Careers 108

Housing & Living Conditions 118

Hobbies & Leisure Activities 132

Mishaps & Offenses 142

Nature & Climate 152

Courtesy Expressions & Interjections 163

Appenda 168

Index 208

Introduction

INTRODUCTION

During the past century, many Lebanese emigrantshave left home and sailed overseas looking for prosperity and better life conditions.

In recent years, the emigration wave has reached thepoint that more Lebanese are living abroad than in Lebanon. They have integrated fully in their host countriesand played key roles in their new societies. Lebanon, despite its small area and population, has become very wellknown in the world. There is hardly any city that doesnot have a Lebanese restaurant or a small Lebanese community. Many Lebanese have married outside their culture and adapted to a new life style, but others have difficulties integrating their spouses into their own culturebecause of the language barrier. Many of us have experienced the unpleasant handicap of being around peoplewho do not speak our language. In my immediate family,my three foreign born sisters-in-law often felt alienatedwhen the conversation has shifted spontaneously intoLebanese.

Therefore, I decided to put my many years of experience as a professor of foreign languages to the serviceof my immediate family and my extended Lebanese family by authoring a simple conversational book. My goalis to help all those interested in learning the Lebanesedialect reach a comfortable level of proficiency that willprovide them with basic survival skills and encouragethem to become active speakers rather than passive listeners.

To reach this goal I rely on the following instructionaltools:

ii Spoken Lebanese

a. A simple phonetic systemb. Short dialoguesc. Culture and Vocabulary Sectiond. Grammar notese. Reinforcements

The phonetic system I adopted is a simplified adaptation of the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). It isintended to present the Arabic sounds in a contrastive waywith European sounds, limiting the memorization of phonetic symbols to just a few.

The short communicative exchanges are based on reallife situations and contain useful, high frequency vocabulary.

The vocabulary and culture section presents thelearner with valuable cultural information in addition todetailed explanatory notes for the communicative exchanges.

Since my goal is to teach the Lebanese Dialect whichis easily understood in Syria, Jordan, Palestine and otherparts of the Arab World, I will avoid elaborate grammarnotes related to MSA (Modern Standard Arabic) and I willfocus closely on verb conjugational patterns and pronominal suffixes.

My intentions are not to discourage anyone fromlearning our beautiful Arabic Language. I am simplyoffering a survival package to those interested only inspeaking our dialect.

Reinforcements will help the learner to go beyondthe material presented in the chapter and use words fromthe supplementary list provided.

Since Lebanon lived many years under foreign occupation, it should be no surprise to the learner to encounter many familiar words such as "Sandwich", "Balcon","Chauffeur" etc.... Lebanon has never opposed the inte-

Introduction iii

gration of foreign words into its dialect. Those interestedin this topic may consult my work Lexicon ofForeign Wordsin the Syrian-Lebanese Dialect,t. available at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and at Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina. They mayalso order it through the publisher of this book.

In conclusion, I hope that the learner find this workrewarding. I strongly encourage anyone who is eager tolearn our beautiful dialect to seek the help of native speakers, to be linguistically inquisitive and aggressive, and topractice. Best wishes!

iv Spoken Lebanese

PHONETIC SYSTEM

In Modern Standard Arabic the phonological systemconsists of 28 consonants and 6 vowels. More than half ofthem are similar to English and are easy to pronounce.

Choosing a phonetic system for the Lebanese dialectis a complicated task because many integrated foreignwords kept their original forms. Therefore I chose a simplemodified system adopted from the IPA to satisfy the needsof our dialect without compromising the pronunciationof foreign words. This system will be presented in a clearwa~ in order to better help the learner who has no phonetic background. It is very important that you familiarize yourself with this system and you master the soundsbefore moving on to the first chapter.

b

p

d J.

t ~

T .b

g

k

Phoentlc System v

CONSONANTS

(be) boy, rib.

(p) park, rope (the p is not an Arabic consonant).

(daal) door, bid.

(DaaD) This consonant is closely associatedwith Arabic which is also called: the language of DaaD. It is an emphatic velarizedcorrelative of "d". To pronounce this sound,place the tip of the tongue against the upper teeth, stiffen the tongue and tighten themuscles of your throat.

(te) tan, kit. Always dental.

(Tah) It is a voiceless alveolar stop, whilethe plain f tf is a dental stop. The tongueshould be slightly retracted and raised towards the soft palate.

(jiim) girafe, Asia.

(g) go, bag (The g is not an Arabic consonant, but it is present in the Egyptian dialect. )

(kaaf) kilo, cup, back

vi Spoken Lebanese

G

Q

1

.t

J

(Gayn) similar to the Parisian "r", the backof the tongue should be slightly raised towards the roof of the mouth as if you aregargling. The front of the tongue should remain tight and low. The stream of air willcause the vibration of the vocal cords.

(hamza) air, on. It is a glottal stop that mayoccur in the beginning, in the middle or atthe end of a word. In English, it occurs inmonosyllable words, or in words that begin with a vowel followed generally by twoconsonants as in "absence, orbit". In certain areas, people use it instead of / t / inthe middle of a word as in "mutton". It isproduced by closing and quickly openingthe vocal cords.

(Qaaf) This sound is heard in some Lebanese areas namely the Shouf Mountains andthe Bekaa Valley. It has been replaced by aglottal stop ( , ) or Hamza in all other areas.It surfaces however in certain words wherethe glottal stop is closely followed by theQaaf, like in "anaaQa" (elegance); or"ayQuune" (icon). It is a guttural "kaaf"produced from the back of the mouth. Theback of the tongue should touch the uvulararea, while the front part remains closelytight to the bottom of the mouth. Similar to"cough, call".

(laam) lemon, mile; it is a non-velarizedsound.

Phonetic System vii

r -J (re) rose, bar.

.z -J (zayn) zone, wise.

Z JQ (Zah) It is an emphatic "z".

s ~ (siin) sun, mice.

S ~ (Saad) It is an emphatic "s" producedby applying the tip of the tongue againstthe lower teeth while the back of thetongue is pressing against the velum,forcing the air to go through the tongueand the alveolar ridge.

S ut (Shiin) shine, fish, portion. It is theequivalent of "sh" in English and "ch"in French.

f ~ (fe) foot, roof, rough.

m \ (miim) moon, room.

.(nuun) nun, fan.n U

h b (he) ha~ hotel, hobby.

H ( (He) This sound is similar to the soundproduced when you clear your throat.It is a voiceless pharyngeal soundformed by constricting the walls of thepharynx while breathing.

x ( (xe) Similar to the / ch / in certain Ger-man words like "Nacht". It is a voice-

viii Spoken Lebanese

9 t

w .J

y ':?

less velar and fricative sound. It is produced by narrowing the passagewaybetween the back of the tongue and thevelum. The front of the tongue remainslow. During the passage of air, the vocal cords are not vibrated.

(9ayn) This consonant, like the /D /, IT /, I G I, I QI, I S I, / HI, and theIxl has no English equivalent. It is avoiced pharyngeal and fricative sound.It is produced by tightening the musclesof the throat and expulsing the breaththrough the vibrating vocal cords.

(waaw) water, vow. It is also a diphthong when preceded by / al as inItawml "twins".

(ye) yes, say, oyster. It is also a diphthong when preceded by I a I as inIbayt/ "house".

PhonetIc System ix

VOWELS

a

aa

i

ii

u

uu

e

ee

o

Short vowel as in: baboon, part.

Prolonged vowel as in: bar, far.

Short vowel as in: media, seashore.

Prolonged vowel as in: beast, fleet.

Short vowel as in: book, should.

Prolonged vowel as in: booth, soon.

Short vowel as in: neck, cell, bed.

Prolonged vowel as in: man, bear.(do not confuse with leel in English)

Vowel heard in foreign words likechauffeur Ifofrer I.

Vowel heard in foreign words likePolice Ipoliis/ or Iboliis/.

Please note that proper names are not capitalized.They are preceded by an asterisk:

e.g. *samiir, *maHmuud

x Spoken Lebanese

Intonations and accents may vary from one Lebanese region to another, therefore the pronunciationof certain words may differ from the way they arephonetically transcribed in this book, e.g. Ibaytl"house" may be said Ibeyt/; I anal "me, I" may besaid I anel in some areas; IlayfI "why" may be saidI ley I, and the pronoun suffix I i I may be pronounced I e I or a sound in between I i I and I e I etc...While this may cause some listening comprehensiondifficulties, it should not affect the speaking competency of the learner.

Consonants are divided into "lunar" and "solar"depending on their behavior with the letter III ofthe definite article "al". The III remains with wordsbeginning with a lunar consonants, e.g. "albayt"meaning: the house; it disappears with words begin

ning with solar consonants, leading to the doublingof that consonant, e.g. "affams" meaning: the sun.This is the reason why you may see two similar consecutive consonants in the communicative exchangespresented in this book. The transition between aword followed by another word that begins with asolar consonant is made easy sometimes by inserting a transitional vowel such as I a I, I ii, I u I, orI e I, e.g. "bayt e ffa9b" meaning: the people's house;"ra'iis e ddawle" meaning the president of the state.All dental and palatal consonants are solar, withthe exception of I j I and I y I which are lunar. In theLebanese dialect the list of solar consonants is shorterthan the list of MSA because certain consonants like

j I th I as in "those" and ~ I th I as in "earth" areabsent. The followings are the solar consonants inthe Lebanese dialect:

Itl, ITI, Idl, ID/, Irl, Izl, IZ/, lsi, lSI,IfI, Ill, In/.

Chapter One

Greetings & Formalities

2 Spoken Lebanese

In this chapter you will learn formal andinformal greetings, formalities and etiquette.You will also learn pronouns, pronominalsuffixes and some useful interrogatives.

FORMAL GREETINGS

In the morning: SabaaH-IxayrIn the evening: masa-Ixayr

OTHER FORMS OF GREETING

"Good morning""Good evening"

"Peace be upon you""Hi, Hello""pleasant evening"

assalaamu 9alaykummarHabaIn the evening: sa9iideIn a working environment:9aweefe or ya9tiik-19aafye "wishing you health"

If you are addressing someone in particular you mayuse the vocative (ya) before his/her name, e.g. marHabaya *samiir.

In the following exchanges you will become familiarwith some Lebanese names, and you will learn how togreat people and answer their greetings.

*sa9iid:*9aaTif:

*9afaaf:*Hanaan:

*Hasan:*9adnaan:

SabaaH-lxayr ya *9aaTifahlan, SabaaH-nnuur ya *sa9iid

masa-lxayr ya *Hanaanmasa-nnuur ya *9afaaf

assalamu 9alaykum ya *9adnaanwa9alaykumu-ssalaam ya *Hasan

*xaaled:*hiJaam:

*sihaam:*huda:

*9umar:*Haliim:

Chapter One: Greetings & Formalities 3

marHaba ya *hiJaammarHabtayn ya *xaaled

9aweefe ya *hudaalIa y9afiiki ya *sihaam

sa9iide ya *Haliimyis9ud ha-Imasa ya *9umar

Greetings are usually followed by common courtesyquestions, e.g. (kifak) How are you? (kiif-IHaal) How is itgoing? etc. . . . Middle Easterns always thank (*alla) Godfor their well being.

*samiir:*salwa:*samiir:*salwa:

marhaba ya *salwaahlan *samiir, kiifak?IHamdilla, kiifik inti?nuJkur *alla meeJe-IHaal

(ahlan) is an expression used to welcome someone, or toanswer someone's greeting. It means literally: you areamong your family.

(kiif) is an interrogative meaning "how". Verb "to be" isimplied in pronouns or pronominal suffixes like ik, ak,etc.... Therefore (kiifak) means: how are you, masculine, singular.

(inti) is a feminine singular pronoun.

GRAMMAR NOTES

In this book I will use the following abbreviations:

masc. Masculine

4 Spoken Lebanese

femesing.pI.perf.imperf.imp.proneprep.lit.lebo

FeminineSingularPluralPerfectImperfectImperativePronounPrepositionLiterallyLebanese

Please note that in the lebo dialect the feme pI. proneand pronominal suffixes are replaced by the masc. pI.prone and pronominal suffixes. The dual prone are replacedby the masc. pI. pronouns. In all examples of the explanatory notes, I used the masc. sing. form.

PRONOUNS

he, himshe, herthey, themyou (masc. sing.)you (fern. sing.)you (masc. & feme pI.)I, mewe, us

PRONOMINAL SUFFIXES

huwwehiyyihinniintaintiintuananiHna

When pronominal suffixes are added to a noun theyindicate possession; e.g. baytak (your home, masc. sing.),ismak (your name, masc. sing.); when added to a verb theyare considered direct or indirect objects of that verb. e.g.Jeefak (he saw you).

Chapter One: Greetings & Formalities 5

u masc. sing. (his) baytua fern. sing.(her) baytaun masc. & fern. pI.(your) baytun

ak masc. sing. (your) baytakik fern. sing. (your) baytikkun masc. & fern. pI. (your) baytkun

i (my) baytina (our) baytna

ismuismaismun

ismakismikismkun

ismiismna

SOME USEFUL INTERROGATIVES

whatwhohowwherewhenhow muchwhywhat does it meanwhat is your namewhat is this

OTHER USEFUL VOCABULARY

yesnoif possibleperhapscorrect, trueof coursewrong, incorrectthank youa reply to fukran

Iumiinkiifwaynaymta'iddayflayffu ya9nifu ismak (masc. sing)fu hayda

na9amla'iza mumkinbijuuzSaHiiHTab9anGaiaTJukran9afwan (do not mention it,you are welcome)

6 Spoken Lebanese

my name isI wantheregive mea littlea lot

NATIONALITIES

AmericanAustralianBritishCanadianFrenchGermanLebanesePolishRussianSpanish

REINFORCEMENT

ismibaddihawne9TiiniJwayktiir

amerkeeniustraaliingliizikanadifrinseewiulmaanilibneenipoloniruusispanyoli

• Practice the exchanges with a Lebanese speaker.

• Apply the pronominal suffixes to nouns like:Haal (condition, state); ism (name); 9umr (age).

• Apply the pronominal s\lffixes to prepositionslike: ma9 (with, to have); 9ind (at, with, to have).

8 Spoken Lebanese

In this chapter you will learn basic expressions used when you meet someone or family members for the first time. You will alsobecome acquainted with codes of conductwhen socializing with a Lebanese family.

The verbs conjugated in this chaJ?ter are:tfaDDal, Habb, 9arraf, Jirib, Jakar

DIALOGUE I

*marwaan:xeelit *marwaan:*marwaan:

xeelit *marwaan:*sandra:xeelit *marwaan:*sandra:xeelit *marwaan:*marwaan:

xeelit *marwaan:

SabaaH-Ixayr ya xeelti.SabaaH-nnuur ya 9ayni, tfaDDal.Jukran ya xeelti. bHibb 9arrfik 9alamadaamti. isma *sandra, whiyyiamerkeniyyi.ahlan *sandra, tJerrafna. kiif Haalik?IHamdilla, ktiir mniiHa.nJalla mabsuuTa b*libneen?na9am, ktiir mabsuuTa.tfaDDalu Jrabu finjeen 'ahwe.mersi, bil'afraaH nJalla. yallabxaaTrik ya xeeltima9-ssaleeme ya 'albi, alIa ma9kun.

CULTURE & VOCABULARY

It is customary in Lebanon that when you pass bysomeone's house to be invited in. The expression "tfaDDal"follows automatically the greeting. If you are visiting withsomeone, you have to adhere to the following culturalnorms:

• Do not put your feet on the coffee table or in anyposition facing other people.

Chapter Two' Socializing & Family Members 9

• Do not help yourself to anything at the coffee tableunless you are invited to.

• Do not ask for sodas or drinks, your host will offeryou what is available in the house.

• When you meet someone for the first time, pleaseuse the expression "tfarrafna" which means "I am honored to meet you".

• If another guest or a family member walks in orout of the living room, please stand up to greet him or tosay "good bye" to him. It is rather rude to remain seatedunless you are asked to do so.

• When requesting something from your host, pleaseuse one of the following expressions: "please", "9mulma9ruuf" do me a favor, "min faDlak" if you please.

• If you decide to stand up and leave, or you wouldlike to be excused for a moment, please use the expression "bil'izn" with your permission.

xeelti:

9ayni:

tfaDDal:

my maternal aunt. xeele, maternal aunt. Itlooses the leI and takes a ItI before thepronominal suffix to avoid the collisionof the two vowels.

my eye. Some people, especially the olderones use terms of endearement whentalking to their relatives or to the youngerones. You may hear "ya f albi" my heart,"ya ruuHi" my soul, etc... .

come in, lit. be generous. Imp. of tfaDDal.See grammar notes for conjugation.

10 Spoken Lebanese

bHibb: I would like, I love. Imperf. of Habb (tolike, to love). See grammar notes.

9arrfik: introduce you. Imperf. of 9arraf (to intro-duce), with the pronominal suffix "ik".This verb is usually followed by thepreposition "9ala" which means: to, on.

madaamti: From French "madame", my wife. Theword "marti" is also used.

isma: her name. ism: name.

amerkeniyyi: American (fem.), amerkeeni (masc.),amerkeen (pl.).

tfarrafna: nice to meet you. Perf. of tfarraf (to behonored), conjugated like tfaDDal.

mniiHa: fine, good (fern.), mniiH (masc.),mneeH (pl.).

mabsuuTa: happy (fem.), mabsuuT (masc.),mabsuuTiin (pl.).

*libneen: Lebanon. The b that precedes it is apreposition meaning: in.

ktiir: ver~ too much, a lot.

Jrabu: drink, imp. of firib (to drink).See grammar notes.

finjeen: cup, fnejiin (pl.).

'ahwe: coffee.

Chapter Two: Socializing & Family Members 11

mersi: from French (merci), thank you.

bil'afraaH: in happy occasions. (may we drink yourcoffee in happy occasions).

yalla: interjection meaning, OK now, let's go,come on. yalla yalla: means hurry up,move it.

bxaaTrik: with your permission, good by now(fem.),bxaaTrak (masc.), bxaaTurkun (pl.).

ma9: prep. with.

saleeme: safety. ma9-ssaleeme: good bye, lit. gowith safety.

I albi: my heart.

The hyphen that connects the two words marks theabsence of the definite article "al", and the doubling ofthe initial consonant as seen in the phonetic remarks. Itindicates that the two words should be pronounced asone. This will prevent glottal stops and mispronunciations.

DIALOGUE II

*samia:*saliim:*samia:

*saliim:*lari:*saliim:*lari:

masa-Ixayr ya 9ammi.ahlan, masa-nnuur, kiif-SSuHHa?9aal, nufkur *alla. bHibb 9arrfak 9alajawzi *lari, huwwe ingliizi.ahlan ya *lari, ilna-ffaraf.biHadrtak ya 9amm.kiif, nfalla mabsuuT b*libneen?ma9luum, ktiir mabsuuT.

12 Spoken Lebanese

*saliim:*samia:*saliim:

bitHibbu tifrabu finjeen 'ahwe?Gayr marra nfalla. yalla bxaaTrak.ma9-ssaleeme, alIa ma9kun.


9amm: paternal uncle. 9ammi (paternal aunt).The Iii after 9amm is a pronominal suffix.

SuHHa: health. kiif-SSuHHa is another way ofsaying "how are you?".

9aal: fine, well.

nufkur: we thank, imperf. of fakar (to thank). Seegrammar notes.

jawzi: my husband. Some people use the word"xaweejti".

ingliizi: British, English.

ilna: lit. for us, belongs to us. This expression ismade of the prep."ila" for, and the pronominal suffix "nail.

faraf: honor.

biHaDrtak: lit. in your presence, nice to meet you too,like wise. HaDrat is a respectful and anofficial way to address someone or adignitary.

ma91uum: of course, sure.

Gayr: another.

marra:

Chapter Two: Sociallzmg & Family Members 13

time, once, marraat (pl.).

GRAMMAR NOTES

In Arabic, the third masc. sing. form of the perfecttense is the root of the verb; e.g. "Jirib" he drank, is theroot of verb to drink; "daras" he studied, is the root ofverb to study. In the Vocab. notes, the root will be givenafter the tense.

Verbs in Arabic are commonly divided into triliteral(three letters) and quadriliteral (four letters) verbs. Thereare very few exceptions to that rule.

The triliteral verbs are divided into ten Measuresaccording to their pattern of conjugation. Quadriliteralverbs have only two common measures.

If the root of a triliteral verb has a IwIor a IyI inthe beginning, the verb is called: Assimilated, e.g. wa9ad:to promise.

If the root of a triliteral verb has a vowel in themiddle, the verb is called: Hollow, e.g. neem: to sleep;raaH: to leave, to go.

If the root of the triliteral verb ends with a vowel,the verb is called Defective; e.g. bi'i: to stay, to last; nisi:to forget.

The most frequent verbs are Measure I verbs whichhave a simple and predictable pattern of conjugation inthe Perfect and Imperfect tenses and in the Imperative.

The other most common measures are: Measure IIwhich causes generally someone to do something; Measure III which adds a meaning of reciprocity to MeasureI; Measure V which causes the verb to be reflexive; Measure VII which adds passivity to the verb; Measure IX associated mainly with colors; and Measure X which oftenadds reflexivity or inquisition to the meaning of the verb.

The following is the conjugation of verbs you haveseen in this chapter:

14 Spoken Lebanese

• tfaDDal (to come in, to be generous) is a Measure Vverb.

Pronoun Perfect Imperfect Imperative

huwwe tfaDDal yitfaDDalhiyyi tfaDDalit titfaDDalhinni tfaDDalu yitfaDDalu

inta tfaDDalt titfaDDal tfaDDalinti tfaDDalti titfaDDali tfaDDaliintu tfaDDaltu titfaDDalu tfaDDalu

ana tfaDDalt itfaDDalniHna tfaDDalna nitfaDDal

If the imperfect tense is not preceded by anotherverb, it takes a fbI in the beginning (except with niHnait takes Im/) . This indicates a habitual or a repetitiveact, e.g. byitfaDDal, mnitfaDDali bHibb, minHibb.

If the imperfect is preceded by the prefix 119am" itindicates an action in progress.

The Imperfect may sometimes refer to a future actdepending on the context.

In order to form the future tense of any verb, youadd UraH" to the imperfect.

• Habb (to love, to like) is a doubled verb, it ends withtwo similar consonants.

Pronoun

huwwehiyyihinni

Perfect

HabbHabbitHabbu

Imperfect

yHibbtHibbyHibbu

Imperative

Chapter Two' Socializing & Family Members 15

inta Habbayt tHibb Hibbinti Habbayti tHibbi Hibbiintu Habbaytu tHibbu Hibbu

ana Habbayt HibbniHna Habbayna nHibb

• 9arraf (to introduce) is a Measure II verb.


huwwe 9arraf y9arrifhiyyi 9arrafit t9arrifhinni 9arrafu y9arrfu

inta 9arraft t9arrif 9arrifinti 9arrafti t9arrfi 9arrfiintu 9arraftu t9arrfu 9arrfu

ana 9arraft 9arrifniHna 9arrafna n9arrif

• firib (to drink) is a sound Measure I verb.


huwwe Jirib yiJrabhiyyi Jirbit tiJrabhinni Jirbu yiJrabu

inta Jribt tiJrab Jraabinti Jribti tiJrabi Jrabiintu Jribtu tiJrabu Jrabu

ana Jribt iJrabniHna Jribna niJrab

16 Spoken Lebanese

• fakar (to thank) is a sound Measure I verb.

ImperativePronoun Perfect

huwwe Jakarhiyyi Jakarithinni fakaru

inta fakartinti Jakartiintu fakartu

ana fakartniHna fakarna

Imperfect

yifkurtifkuryifkru

tifkur fkurtifkri Jkiritifkru fkiru

ifkurnifkur


Demonstratives

this, masc. sing.

this, fem. sing.

these, masc.& fem. pI.

those, masc.& fem. pI.

Conjunction

and

hayda, e.g. hayda *saliim(this is *saliim).haydi, e.g. haydi *samia(this is *samia).hawdi, e.g. hawdi *samiaw*saliim (these are *samiaand *saliim).hawdiik, e.g. hawdiik*samia w*saliim (thoseare *samia and *saliim).

/w/ e.g. *saliim w *samia(*saliim and *samia).

Family Members & Relatives

For an extended list please look at the appendix.

fathermotherbrothersistersondaughtergrand fathergrand mother

uncle

aunt

REINFORCEMENT

Chapter Two: Socializing & Family Members 17

bayy, bayyeet (pI.)imm, immeet (pl.)xayy, ixwe (pI.)uxt, xayyeet (pI.)ibn, wleed (pI.)bint, baneet (pI.)jid, jduud (pI.)sit, sitteet (pl.), (it alsomeans lady, or Mrs.)

9amm (paternal side), 9muum(pI.) xeel, (maternal side), xweel(pl.).9ammi (paternal side), 9ammeet(pl.); xeele ( maternal side),xeleet (pl.).

• Answer the following questions:

1. kiif Haalak /Haalik?2. infalla mabsuuT/mabsuuTa blibneen?3. bitHibb/bitHibbi tifrabi finjeen 'ahwe?4. bxaaTrak / bxaaTrik

• Give the names of your immediate familymembers, e.g. ism bayyi *lari (the name of myfather is Larry) ism immi. ...etc.....

• Name people around you using demonstratives;e.g. hayda *toni, (this is Toni) etc....

Chapter Three

Dates & Numbers

Chapter Three: Dates & Numbers 19

In this chapter you will learn more usefulexpressions related to social life. You will alsolearn the days of the week, months, seasons,cardinal and ordinal numbers.

The verbs conjugated in this chapter are:keen, wuSil, bi'i, nbasaT.

DIALOGUE

*Hayaat:

*lori:

*Hayaat:*lori:

*Hayaat:*lori:

*Hayaat:

*lori:

IHamdilla 9a-ssaleeme ya *lori, kiif keenitsafritkun?nufkur Hamdik ya *Hayaat, keenit safraTawiile, ta'riiban 9afr se9aat biTTiyyaara,bus nufkur *alla wSulna bi-ssaleeme.aymta wSultu min Gayr farr?wSulna 9a*bayruut yawm-Ixamiis, ssee9aarb9a ba9d-DDuhr.wkam yawm raH tib'u b*libneen?fi fahr ta'riiban. leezim nirja9 bi'eexir*tammuuz li'annuu-Imadeeris bitballifbinuSS *aab.9aZiim, nfalla btunbusTu hawn,wibtirja9ubi-ssaleeme.fukran ya *Hayaat


As indicated previously the name of God (*alla) isincluded in many expressions used in the Middle East toexpress faith in Him and submission to His will.

Since some people are superstitious, they also use thename of God to protect babies and belongings from theharm that may be caused by evil eyes. Expressions like

20 Spoken Lebanese

"sm*alla" which means (the name of God) are used whenyou see a newly born baby or you talk about someone'ssuccessful business or beautiful family etc....

IHamdilla 9a-ssaleeme: means lit. "praise God foryou safety". It is used in

this context as "welcome back". It is alsoused to wish someone a good recoveryfrom an illness, surgery, or an accident.

keenit:

safritkun:

Tawiile:

ta'riiban:

9afr:

se9aat:

Tiyyaara:

bas:

wSulna:

it was. Perf. of verb keen (to be).See grammar notes.

your trip. safra: trip. The last vowel isdropped or modified when a pronominalsuffix is connected to a feminine nounand the silent ItI reappears. safra shouldnot be confused with Safra which meansyellow (fem.).

long (fem.), Tawiil (masc.).

almost, about, approximately.

ten (when followed by a noun, otherwise9afra).

hours, see9a (sing.).

aircraft.

but.

we arrived. Perf. of wuSil (to arrive).

min Gayr farr: may you be protected from evil.


*bayruut: capital and largest city of Lebanon.

yawm: day.

xamiis Thursday, not to be confused withxaamis ( fifth).

see9a: hour, watch, clock, se9aat (pl.).

arb9a: four.

ba9d: after.

Duhr: noon.

tib'u: imperf. of bi'i (to stay, to remain).See grammar notes.

Ii: about, around. When it occurs at the endof a statement it is used as an interroga-tive particle and the statement becomes aquestion with a rise of intonation, e.g.wuSil Ii? (did he arrive?)

fahr: month, ufhur (pl.).

leezim: it is a must, it is necessary, should.

nirja9: we return, imperf. of riji9 (to return),conjugated like firib in Chapter II.

eexir: end, last.

*tammuuz: July.

li'annu: because.

22 Spoken Lebanese

madeeris: schools, madrase (sing.).

bitballif: imperf. of ballaf (to start, to begin), conjugated like 9arraf in Chapter II.

nuSS: mid, half.

*aab: August.

9aZiim: great. Other expressions used in thecourse of a conversation: ktiir mniiH(very good); mumteez (excellent); tiHfe(fantastic); Tayyib (ok, lit., delicious).

btunbusTu: you have fun. Imperf. of nbasaT(to enjoyoneself, to have fun). See grammar notes.

hawn: here.

DIALOGUE II

*9iSaam:*xaliil:*9iSaam:*xaliil:*9iSaam:*xaliil:

kam Saff 9indak lyawm ya *xaliil?9indi tleet Sfuuf.ayya see9a biballif awwal Saff?awwal Saff biballif ssee9a tis9a wnuSS.wl'ayya see9a btib'a biljeem9a?9aadatan, birja9 9albayt ba9d eexir Saff,Haweele-ssee9a tnayn ilIa rib9, ba9dDDuhr.


kam: how much, how many.

Saff: class, course, Sfuuf (pI.)

Chapter Three. Dates & Numbers 23

9indak: you have. The preposition 9ind followedby a pronominal suffix denotes posses-sion, it is the equivalent of verb: to have.

lyawm: today.

tleet: three. Originally tleete. It looses the / e/before a noun.

ayya: which?

awwal: first.

tis9a: nine. It looses the / a/ before a noun.

jeem9a: university, jeem9aat (pl.).

9aadatan: usually.

bayt: house, byuut (pl.).

Haweele: around, about.

tnayn: two ( speaking about time), otherwise thedual form ending "ayn" is used to denotetwo counts, e.g. baytayn: two houses.

ilIa: minus, less.

rib9: quarter. "tnayn ilIa rib9" means: quartertill 2.

ba9d: after, more.

Duhr: noon.

24 Spoken Lebanese

GRAMMAR NOTES

• keen (to be) is a key verb in Arabic and in the lebo dialect. It is also used as a helping verb in past tenses. It is ahollow verb used as an example for the conjugation ofmany similar hollow verbs.

Pronoun Perfect Imperfect

huwwe keen ykuunhiyyi keenit tkuunhinni keenu ykuunu

inta kint tkuuninti kinti tkuuniintu kintu tkuunu

ana kint kuunniHna kinna nkuun

Imperative

kuunkuunikuunu

Verbs conjugated like keen: feet (to enter), raaH (to go).

• wuSil (to arrive) is a Measure I assimilated verb.


huwwe wuSil yuuSalhiyyi wuSlit tuuSalhinni wuSlu yuuSalu

inta wSult tuuSalinti wSulti tuuSaliintu wSultu TuuSalu

ana wSult uuSalniHna wSulna nuuSal

Imperative

wSaalwSaliwSalu

Chapter Three: Dates &Numbers 25

• bi'i (to stay) is a Measure I defective verb.


huwwe bi'i yib'ahiyyi bi'yit tib'ahinni bi'yu yib'u

inta b'iit tib'a b'aainti b'iiti tib'i b'iiintu b'iitu tib'u b'uu

ana b'iit ib'aniHna b'iina nib'a

• nbasaT (to enjoy oneself) is a Measure VII sound verb.


huwwe nbasaT yunbusiThiyyi nbasaTit tunbusiThinni nbasaTu yunbusTu

inta nbasaTet tunbusiT nbusiTinti nbasaTti tunbusTi nbusTiintu nbasaTtu tunbusTu nbusTu

ana nbasaTet unbusiTniHna nbasaTna nunbusiT


Cardinal numbers

one waaHad (does not modify nouns, itonly follows a noun for emphasis).

From 11 on, numbers are followedby the singular form of the nounthey modify, e.g. 9iJriin bayt.

Numbers 3 thru 10 are followed bythe plural form of the noun theymodify. They also lose their finalvowel before that noun, e.g. xamsbyuut, 9aJr se9aat.

26 Spoken Lebanese

two

threefourfivesixseveneightnineteneleventwelvethirteenfourteenfifteensixteenseventeeneighteennineteentwentytwenty onetwenty twothirtythirty onefortyfiftysixtyseventyeightyninetyhundredhundred onehundred twotwo hundredthree hundredthousand

tnayn (does not modify nouns, usedual form instead as seen before).tleetearb9axamsesittesab9atmeenetis9a9aJraHda9Jtna9Jtietta9Jarba9ta9J

xamsta9J From 11-19, numbers take larl be-sitta9J fore the noun they modify, e.g.saba9ta9J xamsta9Jar bayt.

tmenta9Jtisa9ta9f9iJriinwaaHad w9ifriintnayn w9iJriin...tletiinwaaHad witletiin...arb9iinxamsiinsittiinsab9iintmeniintis9iinmiyyi

miyyi wwaaHadmiyyi witnaynmitayntleet miyyialf

millionbillion

malyuunmilyaar

Chapter Three: Dates &Numbers 27

Ordinal Numbers

firstsecondthirdfourthfifthsixthseventheighthninethtenthlast

awwal (masc.), uula (fern.)teeni/ teenyeteelit / teelteraabi9 /raab9axeemis / xeemseseedis / seedseseebi9 / seeb9ateemin/teemneteesi9 / tees9ageeJir /geeJraeexir

Ordinal numbers after tenth are not communlyused, they are replaced by the word "ra'm" whichmeans number, followed by a cardinal number afterthe singular form of the noun, e.g. "bayt ra'm Hda9J",house number eleven, instead of the eleventh house.

Expressions related to numbers

quarter rib9half nuSSthird tilta little Jwaya lot ktiirminus ilIa

Days of the week (ayyaam l'usbuu9)

dayweek

yawm, nhaarjim9a, usbuu9

28 Spoken Lebanese

SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday

l'aHadttanaynttaleetal'urb9alxamiisIjim9assabt

Months of the year (aJhur-ssini)

monthyearJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember

fahrsinikaanuun-tteenifbaaTazaarniseenayyaarHzayraantammuuzaabayluultifriin-l'awwaltifriin-tteenikanuun-l'awwal

The Seasons (alfuSuul)

SeasonWinterSpringSummerFall

faSlffitirrabii9SSayflxariif


Expressions related to time

momentsecondminutenowlatertodaytomorrowyesterdayeveningnightmorningnoonweekend

REINFORCEMENT

laHZatakkid'ii'ahalla'ba9deenlyawmbukrambeeriH9afiyyi, lmasalaylSubHDuhrwiikend

• Apply the numbers you learned on family members,e.g. I have three brothers, two sisters, five uncles....

• Give the names of family members using ordinalnumbers, e.g. my first uncle is Jim, my second uncle isRobert....

• What are your favorite months & seasons?

• List briefly your activities for the day and give theirtimes, e.g. 8:00 University (jeem9a),12:00 Lunch(Gada) .....

• List your activities for the weekend.

Chapter Four

Post Office & Telephone

Chapter Four: Post Office & Telephone 31

In this chapter you will learn how to conductsimple business at the post office and overthe phone, as well as the necessaryvocabulary to conduct such a business.

The verbs conjugated in this chapter are:badd, ba9at, 9aTa, wazan, HaTT, Daa9, Hiki,

9alla, talfan, 9imil, leel, ttaSal, tikram.

DIALOGUE

*saami:*piter:

*saami:*piter:*saami:

*piter:*saami:

fu ya *piter, lwayn raayiH?raayiH 9albariid, 9indi maktuub baddiib9atu 9a *nyu york.maktuub t'iil amma xafiif?t'iil fway.iza t'iil, leezim ta9Tii la-mwaZZaf-lbariid,Hatta yuuzanu, wya9tiik wara' buultHuTTun 9lay.kam yawm baddu la-yuuSal 9a*nyu york?1,<-",

Hasab. mumkin jim9a ta'riiban. 9ala kilHaal, iza-Imaktuub mhimm,b9atu msawkar, Hatta ma yDii9.


Postal and phone services in Lebanon are operatedby government agencies. Recently cellular phone companies were authorized to operate in Lebanon and manypeople are using their services.

Mail boxes are not available in many areas, therefore,it is necessary to go to the post office (markaz-Ibariid) inorder to buy stamps, mail a letter, send a package, or evenmake a long distance or an overseas call, if there is nophone center (santraal) available in your area.

32 Spoken Lebanese

Iu ya: what's happening? Informal interrogativeused among friends. You may also hear"Iu yaba?" or "Iu fi ma fi?".

raayiH: going, raayHa (fem.). Active participle(masc.) of verb raaH (to go), conjugatedlike keen in Chapter III.

bariid: mail, post office.

9indi: I have. The preposition "9ind" whichmeans with, at, followed by thepronominal suffix "i".

maktuub: letter, correspondence.

baddi: I want, I need. It is a helping verb conju-gated only in the perfect tense and usu-ally followed by the imperfect of anotherverb. See grammar notes.

ib9atu: I send it. Imperf. of ba9at (to send) fol-lowed by the pronominal suffix "u". Seegrammar notes.

t'iil: heavy (masc.), t'iile (fem.). The feminineof an adjective is formed by adding leIor IiI to the masculine form, e.g. kbiirlkbiire.

amma: or (conjunction used in interrogativeforms) otherwise "aw" is used.

xafiif: light weight, xafiife (fern.).

Chapter Four' Post Office & Telephone 33

fway: a little bit. "fway fway" means: slowly.

ta9Tii: you give it. Imperf. of 9aTa (to give) followed by the pronominal suffix "i". Seegrammar notes.

mwaZZaf: employee, mwaZfiin (pl.).

Hatta: in order to, so that, until, even.

yuuzanu: he weighs it. Imperf. of wazan (to weigh)followed by the pronominal suffix /lu". Seegrammar notes

wara' buul: stamps.

tHuTTun: you put them. Imperf. of HaTT (to put)followed by the pronominal suffix "un".See grammar notes.

9lay: on it. Prep. 9ala changes form whenfollowed by pronominal suffix.

la-yuuSal: in order for it to arrive. When "la" precedesan imperf. verb it is a synonym of Hatta.yuuSal is the imperf. of wuSil, seeChapter III.

Hasab: it depends.

mumkin: may be, it is possible.

ta'riiban: almost, around, approximately.

9ala kil Haal: at any rate, anyhow.

34 Spoken Lebanese

iza:

mhimm:

msawkar:

rna:

yDii9:

DIALOGUE II

*Jarl:*aHmad:

*Jarl:*aHmad:*Jarl:*aHmad:

*Jarl:

*aHmad:

if.

important, mhimmi (fern.).

certified.

not, negative particle, it negates perf. &imperf. verbs.

to be lost. Imperf. of Daa9 (to be lost). Seegrammar notes.

alo, min faDlak fiyyi iHki ma9 *9ali?miJ 9am bisma9ak mniiH, mumkin t9alliSawtak?xaweeja *9ali mawjuud?miin biriidu?hawni SaaHbu *Jarl, 9amtalfin min *london.ssayyid *9ali miJ mawjuud halla', bitHibbtitriklu xabar?na9am, 9mul ma9ruuf 'illu yuttuSil fiyyi,bukra 9aJiyyi 9almaktab.tikram ya sayyid *JarL


It is considered rude and impolite to call someoneyou do not know by his first name. Therefore, when youask for someone over the phone you may use the following titles:

xaweeja, sayyid, isteezsitt, madaammadmozeel, demwazeel

efor meneforwomenefor miss or lady


min faDlak: if you please. Other expressions used: "izabitriid" if you wish; "law samaHt" if youallow, or just "please".

fiyyi: may I? can I? It is a prepositional phraseformed by "fi" (in) and the pronominalsuffix "i". Lit. it means: in me. It is usuallyfollowed by an imperf. verb.

iHki: I talk, I speak. Imperf. of Hiki (to talk). Seegrammar notes.

mif: not, a negative particle like "rna".

bisma9ak: I hear you. Imperf. of simi9 (to hear, tolisten), followed by the pronominal suffix"ak". Conjugated like firib, Chapter II.

t9alli: you raise. Imperf. of 9alla (to raise, to lift).See grammar notes.

Sawtak: your voice. You often hear this expression"9alli Sawtak" if the phone connection isbad.

mawjuud: present, available.

biriid: he wants. Imperf. of raad (to want). Conju-gated like Daa9 in the grammar notes ofthis chapter. This verb is seldom used inthe perf. tense, the auxiliary verb (keen) +the conjugated form of (badd) replace it,e. g. "keen baddu", "keen badda", "keenbaddun" etc....

SaaHbu: his friend. SaaHib (friend masc.) loses

36 Spoken Lebanese

the Iii when connected to the followingpronominal suffixes "u" and "i". aSHaab(pl.).

9amtalfin:

titriklu:

xabar:

I am calling. talfin is the imperf. of talfan(to call). See grammar notes.

you leave for him. Imperf. of tarak (toleave). Conjugated like Jakar, see Chapter II.

message, news. axbaar (pI.)

9muul ma9ruuf: do me a favor. 9muul is the imp. of9imil (to do). ma9ruuf means favor,good deed. See grammar notes.

'illu:

yuttuSil:

tikram:

tell him. Imp. of 'eel (to say). The imp.changes form when connected to a pronominal suffix. See grammar notes.

he contacts, he calls, he gets in touch. Imperf.of ttaSal (to call). See grammar notes.

with pleasure, I will oblige. Lit. for yoursake, in your honor. This verb is only usedin the imp., tikram (masc.), tikrami (fem.),tikramu (pl.)

GRAMMAR NOTES

In this chapter we covered a variety of Measure I, assimilated, hollow, and defective verbs. Each one has a particular conjugational pattern. We also covered some Measure II, and Measure VIII verbs. It is important that youunderstand the conjugational patterns of this chapter because it will often serve as a reference for future verbs.


Please remember that the prefix "9am" of imperf. verbsindicates that the action of such verbs is in progress. Theprefix "raH" denotes the future.

• badd (to want) is an irregular verb conjugated onlyin the Imperfect.

Pronoun Imperfect

huwwe badduhiyyi baddahinni baddun It is usually followed

by the imperfect of

inta baddak another verb.

inti baddikintu baddkun

ana baddiniHna baddna

• ba9at (to send) is conjugated like Sakar in the perf.tense only.


huwwe ba9at yib9athiyyi ba9atit tib9athinni ba9atu yib9atu

inta ba9att tib9at b9aatinti ba9atti tib9ati b9atiintu ba9attu tib9atu b9atu

ana ba9att ib9atniHna ba9atna nib9at

38 Spoken Lebanese

• 9aTa (to give) Emphasize long vowels when pronesuffixes are added.


huwwe 9aTa ya9Tihiyyi 9aTyit ta9Tihinni 9aTyu ya9Tu

inta 9Tayt ta9Ti 9Tiinti 9Tayti ta9Ti 9Tiintu 9Taytu ta9Tu 9Tu

ana 9Tayt a9TiniHna 9Tayna na9Ti

• wazan (to weigh) is a Measure I assimilated verb.


huwwe wazan yuuzanhiyyi wazanit tuuzanhinni wazanu yuuzanu

inta wazant tuuzan wzaaninti wazanti tuuzani wzaniintu wazantu tuuzanu wzanu

ana wazant uuzannihna wazanna nuuzan

• HaTT (to put) is a conjugated like Habb in the perf.but differs otherwise.


huwwe HaTT yHuTThiyyi HaTTit tHuTThinni HaTTu yHuTTu


inta HaTTayt tHuTT HuTTinti HaTTayti tHuTTi HuTTiintu HaTTaytu tHuTTu HuTTu

ana HaTTayt HuTTniHna HaTTayna nHuTT

• Daa9 (to be lost) is a hollow verb but conjugateddifferently from keen. The Imperative is not commonlyused.


huwwe Daa9 yDii9hiyyi Daa9it tDii9hinni Daa9u yDii9u

inta Du9t tDii9 Dii9inti Du9ti tDii9i Dii9iintu Du9tu tDii9u Dii9u

ana Du9t Dii9niHna Du9na nDii9

• Hiki (to talk) is a defective verb.


huwwe Hiki yiHkihiyyi Hikyit tiHkihinni Hikyu yiHku

inta Hkiit tiH Hkiinti Hkiiti tiHki HkiIntu Hkiitu tiHku Hku

ana Hkiit iHkiniHna Hkiina niHki

40 Spoken Lebanese

• 9alla (to raise, to increase)


huwwe 9alla y9allihiyyi 9allit t9allihinni 9allu y9allu

inta 9allayt t9alli 9alliinti 9allayti t9alli 9alliintu 9allaytu t9allu 9allu

ana 9allayt 9alliniHna 9allayna n9alli

• talfan (to call, to phone) is integrated from Frenchinto the leb. dialect. It is conjugated like a quadriliteralsound verb.


huwwe talfan ytalfinhiyyi talfanit ttalfinhinni talfanu ytalfnu

inta talfant ttalfin talfininti talfanti ttalfni talfniintu talfantu ttalfnu talfnu

ana talfant talfinniHna talfanna ntalfin

• 9imil (to do, to make) is a very common verb,used in different contexts.



huwwe 9imil ya9milhiyyi 9imlit ta9milhinni 9imlu ya9mlu

inta 9milt ta9mil 9mulinti 9milti ta9mli 9miliintu 9miltu ta9mlu 9milu

ana 9milt a9milniHna 9milna na9mil

• leel (to say) is a hollow verb conjugated like keen. Theglottal stop may cause some difficulty. Do not confusebetween (ilna, for us) & ('ilna, we said).


huwwe 'eel y'uulhiyyi 'eelit t'uulhinni 'eelu y'uulu

inta lilt t'uul 'uulinyi 'ilti t'uuli 'uuliintu 'iltu t'uulu 'uulu

ana lilt 'uulniHna 'ilna n'uul

• ttaSal (to call, to get in touch) is a Measure VIII verb.


huwwe ttaSal yuttuSilhiyyi ttaSalit tuttuSilhinni ttaSalu yuttuSlu

42 Spoken Lebanese

inta ttaSalt tuttuSil ttuSilinti ttaSalti tuttuSli ttuSliintu ttaSaltu tuttuSlu ttuSlu

ana ttaSalt uttuSilniHna ttaSalna nuttuSil


At the post office

addressenvelopemailboxpackagepostcardscalevalueweigh

On the phone

9inweenmGallafSanduu'-lbariidpakee, Tardkart postaalmizeen'iimewazn

linebusyto dialto hang up

xaTTmaJGuulTalab-rra'msakkar-lxaTT, TabaJssimmee9a

operator santralistphone call muxaabarapublic phone heetif 9muumito pick up receiver rafa9-ssimmee9atelephone book daliil-Ihaatifstatic tiJwiiJ


REINFORCEMENT

• Ask someone to tell you where the post office islocated.

• Ask the post office employee the following:1. how many stamps do I need to send this letter

to the USA?2. how long would it take for the letter to arrive?3. how much does it cost to send it certified?

• Ask someone where you could make a phonecalL

• Ask how much does a phone call to the USA cost.

• Tell someone: the line is busy.

• Leave a message with your name, your phonenumber, and the time you called.

Chapter Five

Biographical Information& Means of Transportation

Chapter Five: Biolgraphical Info. & Means of Trans. 45

In this chapter you will learn how to givebiographical information and talk aboutdifferent means of transportation .

The verbs conjugated in this chapter are:ftaGal, ija, maDDa, 'idir, axad, faaraT, sta9mal.

DIALOGUE I

This dialogue is between a public safety officer(mwaZZaf-I'amn-19aam) at the airport and *viktor.

m:

*viktor:

m:*viktor:m:*viktor:

mwaZZaf-I'amn-19aam: Iu ismak?*viktor: ismi *viktor.m: ism-19ayle?*viktor: *williams.m: 'iddayI 9umrak?*viktor: 9iIriin sini.m: Iu btiItiGil?*viktor: ana Taalib biljeem9a.m: hay awwal marra btiji

9a*libneen?na9am, awwal marra.mnayn jeeyi?min maTaar *Iikago.Iu raH ta9mil b*libneen?jeeyi maDDi furSit-SSayf.Iu 9inweenak b*libneen?raH kuun seekin 9ind-ssayyid *xaliil*Sa9b, bineeyit *Harb, *b9abda.fukran, tfaDDal hayda pasporak.leezim truuH halla' 9indmwaZZaf-ljamaarik. nfallabtunbusiT b*libneen.

m:*viktor:

46 Spoken Lebanese


When you arrive to Beirut International Airport, youhave to pass by a Public Safety officer who will verify yourpassport and ask you security questions. After that, youwill pick up your luggage or ask a porter to help you out,clear the customs (jamaarik) where you have to declarethe value of the goods your are bringing with you and paythe related fees if required. If you are not a Lebanese citizen you need a visa to travel to Lebanon.

9umr:

btiftiGil:

Taalib:

jeem9a:

marra:

btiji:

mnayn:

jeeyi:

age. "iddayf 9umrak?" (how old are you?).Sometimes the expression "taariixlwilaade" (date of birth) is used instead.

you work (masc. sing). Imperf. of ftaGal(to work, to function). It is a Measure VIIIverb. See grammar notes.

student, Tullaab (pl.), usually it denotes auniversity student. Some people do notmake the distinction between Taliib andtilmiiz, (pupil).

university, league, jeem9aat (pl.). Do notconfuse with jim9a (week).

once, one time, marraat (pl.). awwal marra(first time).

you come. Imperf. of ija (to come, toarrive). See grammar notes.

where from? Short form of "min wayn".

coming, arriving. Active participle of ija.

Chapter Five: Biolgraphlcal Info. & Means of Trans. 47

maTaar: airport. Noun of place derived from verbTaar (to fly).

maDDi: I spend (time). Imperf. of maDDa (tospend time, to stay). JaDDa is a synonymof maDDa conjugated the same wa~See grammar notes.

furSa: vacation, holiday, opportunity, furaS (pl.).

seekin: residing, living, dwelling. Active participleof sakan (to reside). Conjugated like Jakar,Chapter II.

bineeyi: building, bineyeet (pl.). Since Beirut andits suburb are becoming overcrowdedand the price of land is very high, peopleare now living in large appartmentbuildings (bineyeet) rather than in privatehouses.

*b9abda: a large suburb of Beirut where the Presi-dential Palace is located.

paspor: passport, pasporaat (pl.). The word"jawaaz safar" is also used.

tfaDDal: in this context means: please take.

truuH: you go. Imperf. of raaH (to go). SeeChapter IV.

halla': now. halla' halla' means: immediately.

jamaarik: customs. Sometimes pronounced gamaarik.

48 Spoken Lebanese

DIALOGUE II

*viktor:

*9afiif:*viktor:*9afiif:

*viktor:*9afiif:*viktor:*9afiif:

daxlak ya *9afiif, kiif bi'dir ruuHmin-lmaTaar 9a*b9abda?aHsan fi, xud taksi, bas faarTu 9assi9r.layf ma fi otobuseet ?mbala, fi otobuseet, bas ma bitruuH diGri9a*b9abda, bteexdak 9a*bayruut bil'awwaLwkiif bruuH min *bayruut lahuniik?fiik teexud serviis.ma fi treneet b*libneen?mbala fi treneet, bas ma Hada byista9milalassafar. aktar fi byista9mluha ma9lkamyuuneet lafaHn-IbDaa9a.


There are two major railroads in Lebanon. One connectsBeirut to North and South Lebanon, the other connects Beirutto Damascus, Syria. Several years ago the railroads wereused for the transportation of passengers and goods. Nowheavy trucks are slowly replacing the obsolete railroad system for the freight of merchandise, and people rely on busesand cars for ground transportations.

Within Beirut and its suburbs, people have a choice between buses, taxis, or "services".

The big buses are operated by the government. Onecould also find some small individually owned and operated buses that serve a certain area.

Taxis are available allover Lebanon and they will takeyou anywhere you like for an agreed-upon fee. Theyoperate through an office.

"Services" are individually owned vehicles, licenced bythe government and used to take passengers from one station to another city or town for a fixed fare. Five passengers


may ride in the "service". The "service" may be used as aTaxi if you prenegotiate the fare with the driver.

daxlak:

bi'dir:

aHsan:

xud:

taksi:

JaarTu:

si9r:

otobuseet:

is an interpellation device, it is theequivalent of the imperative (say) whenyou calIon someone. When daxl is notfollowed by a vocative, it is used as aninterjection expressing dismay, beseeching,or endearment.e.g. yi, daxlu! • I care less about himdaxlak ya *alla! • I beseech you Lorddaxlu Ju mahDuum! • how nice he is

I can. Imperf. of 'idir (to be able). It is thesynonym of "fiyyi". See grammar notes.

better. aHsan Ji: the best thing, the best way.

take. Imp. of axad (to take). It is ahamzated verb. Like all hamzated verbs itlooses the hamza in the imperative. Seegrammar notes.

taxi. Foreign word integrated into thedialect.

negotiate the fare with him. Imp. of JaaraT(to negotiate, to set conditions, to bet). Seegrammar notes. Tips "baxJiiJ" are not expected by taxi drivers but are appreciated.

price, fare, rate. as9aar (pl.). Another wordused for taxi fare is: ti9riife.

buses. otobus (sing.). Foreign wordintegrated into the lebo dialect.

50 Spoken Lebanese

mbala:

diGri:

serviis:

treneet:

ma Hada:

yes. Affirmative answer to a negativequestion.

straight, directly, non-stop, straightahead.

a small vehicle for public transportation.The serviis makes frequent stops to pickup or drop off passengers who share theride.

trains. treen (sing.).

no one.

byista9mila: uses it. Imperf. of sta9mal (to use), aMeasure X verb connected to pronominalsuffix. See grammar notes.

safar:

aktar Ii:

faHn:

bDaa9a:

travel, trip.

most of all, mostly.

freight, shipping, transportation of goods.

goods, merchandise.

GRAMMAR NOTES

When a verb or an active participle modifies anotherverb, the second verb should be in the imperfect tense,e.g. baddu yirja9, jeeyi iIrab 'ahwe.

The affirmative answer to a negative question is"mbala", the negative answer is "la" or "la'" followed


sometimes by the negative form of the verb, e.g. ma bitHibbl'ahwe? mbala; ma bitHibb-I'ahwe? la' ma bHibba.

• JtaGal (to work, to function) is a Measure VIII verb.


huwwe JtaGal yiJtiGilhiyyi JtaGalit tiJtiGilhinni JtaGalu yiJtiGlu

inta JtaGalt tiJtiGilinti JtaGalti tiJtiGliintu JtaGaltu tiJtiGlu

ana JtaGalt iJtiGilniHna JtaGalna niJtiGil

Imperative

JtiGilJtiGliJtiGlu

• ija (to arrive, to come) is a hamzated and an irregularverb. A hamzated verb begins with a hamza which isdropped in the imperative. The irregular verb changesroots and may not be conjugated in certain tenses.


huwwe ija yijihiyyi ijit tijihinni iju yiju

inta jiit tijiinti jiiti tijiintu jiitu tiju

ana jiit ijiniHna jiina niji

Imperative

ta9ata9ita9u

52 Spoken Lebanese

• maDDa and 'aDDa (to spend time, to stay) have thesame conjugation.


huwwe maDDa ymaDDihiyyi maDDit tmaDDihinni maDDu ymaDDu

inta maDDayt tmaDDi maDDiinti maDDayti tmaDDi maDDiintu maDDaytu tmaDDu maDDu

ana maDDayt maDDiniHna maDDayna nmaDDi

• 'idir (to be able) is not a hamzated verb. Its first letter/Q/ is pronounced as a glottal stop. The prep. fi + pronesuffix is synonym to 'idir in the imperf.. To form theperf. you add verb keen to fi + prone suffix.


huwwe 'idir yi'dirhiyyi 'idrit ti'dirhinni 'idru yi'dru

inta 'dirt ti'dir 'durinti 'dirti ti'dri 'diriintu 'dirtu ti'dru 'diru

ana 'dirt 'i'dirniHna 'dirna ni'dir

• axad (to take) is a hamzated verb, it looses the hamzain the imperative.

Chapter Five: Biolgraphlcal Info. & Means of Trans. 53


huwwe axad yeexudhiyyi axadit teexudhinni axadu yeexdu

inta axadt teexud xudinti axadti teexdi xidiintu axadtu teexdu xidu

ana axadt eexudniHna axadna neexud

• JaaraT (to negotiate, to bet, to set conditions) is aMeasure III verb.


huwwe JaaraT yJaariThiyyi JaaraTit tJaariThinni JaaraTu yfaarTu

inta JaraTt tJaariT JaariTinti JaaraTti tJaarTi JaarTiintu JaaraTtu tJaarTu JaarTu

ana JaaraTt JaariTniHna JaaraTna nJaariT

• sta9mal (to use) is a Measure X verb derived from9imil (to do), Chap. IV.


huwwe sta9mal yista9milhiyyi sta9malit tista9milhinni sta9malu yista9mlu

54 Spoken Lebanese

inta sta9malt tista9mil sta9milinti sta9malti tista9mli sta9mliintu sta9maltu tista9mlu sta9mlu

ana sta9malt ista9milniHna sta9malna nista9mil

Other verbs conjugated like sta9mal:sta'bal: to welcome, to receivesta'jar: to rentstaxdam: to use, to employ


Biography

identityheighttallshortsinglemarrieddivorcedwhiteblackblondbrownprofessioneducatedaddress

ChristianMaroniteMoslemSunni

hawiyyeTuulTawiil, Tawiile (fern.)'aSiir, 'aSiire (fern.)a9zab, 9azbe (fern.)mjawwaz, mjawwze, (fern.)mTalla', mTall'a (fern.)abyaD, bayDa (fern.)aswad, sawda (fern.)af'ar, fa'ra (fern.)asmar, samra (fern.) olive skinmihni, waZiifemit9allim9inween

masiiHimaruunimislimsinni

ShiiteDruzeJewish

fii9idirziyehuudi


Means of Transportation

roadseaair, spacelandwindboatsmall boataircraftpassengerseatline, routeticketporterdriverparkingto driveroad lightto pass

to beepto braketo stopdoorwindowtirehitchikingslowfast

Tarii'baRrjaww, faDaarD, barrhawamarkab, babor, beexrafaxtuuraTiyyaarareekib, rikkeeb (pI.)ma'9ad, ma'ee9id (pI.)xaT, xTuuT (pI.)tiket, biTaa'a, tazkara9itteel, 9itteele (pI.)fofrerparkin, maw'afsaa', ysuu' (imperf.)ifaara, ifaraat (pI.)'aTa9, dawbal (it also means to repeatan academic year)zammar (to beep the horn)Darab freemwa"afbeeb, bweeb (pI.)fibbeek, fbebiik (pI.)duleeb, dweliib (pI.)otostopbaTii'sarii9

56 Spoken Lebanese

REINFORCEMENT

• Give a complete profile of yourself, of a friend or afamily member. Include the following: name, age,color, marital status, education, address, etc...

• What is your favorite means of transportation? Why?

• What is the difference between "taksi" and "serviis"?

• Use the verbs of this chapter in meaningful sentences.

Chapter Six

Directions & Road Conditions

58 Spoken Lebanese

In this chapter you will learn how to askfor directions. You will also learn usefulterms related to colors, traffic, and roadconditions.

The verbs conjugated in this chapter are:'aTa9, xaffaf, Tuli9, ntabah, sa'al, lee'a, 9irif, Dayya9.

DIALOGUE I

*joanna:

rrijjeel:

*joanna:rrijjeel:

*joanna:rrijjeel:

min faDlak ya xaweeja, kiif fiyyi ruuH9ala 'a19it *jbayl?awwal fi, leezim teexdi otostrad*Traablus, wtruuHi Sawb *juuni. ba9dmatu'Ta9i *juuni welkazino bfi 9afr d'aayi',bitfuufi mafra' *jbayl 9alyemiin.wba9deen, Ju leezim a9mil?leezim txaffifi sayrik, wtuTla9i min-I'otostrad, wtinzali 9aJJmeel Sawb seeHit*jbayL bas ntibhi, halla' fi 9aj'it sayr ktiir9aTTarii'.lamma buSal 9ala seeHit *jbayl kiif bruuH?wa"fi 9ala mHaTTit benziin ws'ali, hinnibidilluuki.


In Lebanon there are two major highways: one linksBeirut to the North and the South, it is a coastal highwayalong the Mediterranean Sea; the other links Beirut to Damascus and goes through the mountains of Lebanon and theBekaa Valley.

Due to the overwhelming number of cars found onLebanese soil one should expect traffic jams especially during rush hours and on roads undergoing repairs.

Chapter Six: Directions & Road Conditions 59

rijjeel: man, rjeel (pl.).

'aI9a: fortress, 'lee9 (pl.). It becomes 'al9it whenmodified by another noun. Lebanon isknown for its rich historical monumentsand fortresses like the ones found inBaalbak, Sidon, Tripoli, Byblos, etc ... .

*jbayl: the historical town of Byblos, locatedabout 40 miles north of Beirut.

awwal Ii: first of all, when you are listing asequence of events or words.

otostrad: highway, a foreign word integrated intothe leb. dialect. It is understood that"otostrad" refers to the coastal highway.

Sawb: towards. When followed by expressionsrelated to time, it means: around, e.g.Sawb ssee9a 9aIra (around ten o'clock).

*juuni: a large city and port north of Beirut.

ba9dma: after, followed by a verb. ba9d means:after, rna introduces the verb.

tu'Ta9i: you pass, you cross. Imperf. of 'aTa9 (topass, to cross, to cut). See grammar notes.

kazino: the famous "Casino du Liban" locatedin the area of *m9amiltayn, known forits luxurious gambling rooms andfamous shows.

bfi: approximately, around.

60 Spoken Lebanese

bitfuufi: you will see. Imperfect of feef (to see),conjugated like keen in Chapter III.

mafra': exit, intersection, crossroad, mafaare'(pL).It is a name of place derived from verbfara': to make a turn.

9alyemiin: to the right.

ba9deen: then, later, after.

txaffifi: you slow down. Imperf. of xaffaf (to slowdown). Measure II verb. See grammarnotes.

sayr: traffic. xaffifi sayrik: slow down,drive slowly.

tuTla9i: you exit. Imperf. of Tuli9 (to ascend,to go up, to leave, to exit, to rank). Seegrammar notes.

tinzali: you go down. Imperf. of nizil ( to godown, to drop, to descend), conjugatedlike simi9, Chapter IV.

9affmeel: to the left. fmeel also means north. Todistinguish betwee north and left somepeople use the word "yasaar" whichmeans "left".

Hatta: until, so that, in order to.

seeHa: public square, open space, seHaat (pl.). Itbecomes seeHit when modified by a noun.

ntibhi:

9aj'it sayr:

Tarii':

lamma:

wa"fi:

s'ali:


be careful. Imp. of ntabah (to be carefulor attentive). Measure VII verb. Seegrammar notes.

traffic jam.

road, way, Turu' (pl.).

when.

stop. Imp. of wa"af (to stop), conjugatedlike 9arraf in Chapter II.

ask. Imp. of sa'al (to ask, to inquire). Seegrammar notes.

9indi su'aal: I have a question.

bidilluki:

DIALOGUE II

*joanna:

lmara:

*joanna:lmara:

they will direct you. Imperf. of dall (toshow, to point, to guide), conjugated likeHabb in Chapter II.

bil'izn ya madaam, kiif biruuHu 9amarkaz-Ibaladiyye?kaffi diGri Hatta tuuSali HaddIfarmaJiyya, bitfuuti biTarii' zGiiri9aJJmeel, bi'aaxir-TTarii' bitlaa'i bank*bayruut. markaz-Ibaladiyye wara-Ibank.wkiif ba9rif-Imarkaz?ma bitDayy9i abadan, bineeye bayDa,Jbebiika xuDr, teeni Taabi', bitfuufi-I'aarma w9alam *libneen faw'a.

62 Spoken Lebanese


In many cities and towns in Lebanon street signs andhouse numbers are absent. Therefore, one should rely onlandmarks or important sites to locate his destination. Suchlandmarks could be a church, a mosque, a bank, etc... In smalltowns, people are usually related and they know each othervery well.

mara: woman, nisween (pl.).

bil'izn: excuse me, please, lit. with your permission.

markaz: center, headquarter, maraakiz (pl.).

baladiyye: municipality. markaz-Ibaladiyye is theequivalent of City Hall.

kaffi: continue. Imp. of kaffa (to continue, to goon), conjugated like 9alla in Chapter IV.Please note: bikaffi means II it is enough".

diGri straight ahead. If it follows verb to speakor to say, it means JJtruth", e.g. Hiki ddiGri:he said the truth.

Hadd: near, next to, close to.

farmafiyya: pharmacy, drug store. Some people use theword Saydaliyye.

bitfuuti: you enter. Imperf. of feet (to enter), conjugated like keen in Chapter III.

zGiiri: small, narrow, zGiir (masc.).

Chapter SIX: Directions & Road Conditions 63

eexir: end. When it modifies a noun it means:the last.

bitlee'i: you find. Imperf. of lee'a (to find, to see,to meet someone). See grammar notes.

wara: behind, in the back.

ba9rif: I know. Imperf. of 9irif (to know, torecognize). See grammar notes.

bitDayy9i: you get lost. Imperf. of Dayya9 (to lose,to get lost). Conjugated like 9arraf inChapter II.

abadan: never, at all.

bayDa: white, abyaD (masc.), biiD (pl.).

fbebiika: its windows, fibbeek (sing.).

xuDr: green (pl.), axDar (masc.), xaDra (fern.).

Taabi': floor, level, story, Twaabi' (pl.).

aarma: sign, aarmaat (pl.).

9alam: flag, a9leem (pl.).

faw'a: on top of it.

GRAMMAR NOTES

• 'aTa9 (to cross, to cut, to pass) The hamza is replacingthe /Q/.

64 Spoken Lebanese


huwwe 'aTa9 yu'Ta9hiyyi 'aTa9it tu'Ta9hinni 'aTa9u yu'Ta9u

inta 'aTa9t tu'Ta9 'Taa9inti 'aTa9ti tu'Ta9i 'Ta9iintu 'aTa9tu tu'Ta9u 'Ta9u

ana 'aTa9t u'Ta9niHna 'aTa9na nu'Ta9

• xaffaf (to slow down) is a Measure II verb, similarto 9arraf with certain exceptions in the imperf. andthe imperative.


huwwe xaffaf yxaffifhiyyi xaffafit txaffifhinni xaffafu yxaffifu

inta xaffaft txaffif xaffifinti xaffati txaffifi xaffifiintu xaffaftu txaffifu xaffifu

ana xaffaft xaffifniHna xaffafna nxaffif

• Tuli9 (to exit, to leave, to go up)


huwwe Tuli9 yuTla9hiyyi Tu19it tuTla9hinni Tul9u yuTla9u


inta Tlu9t tuTla9 Tlaa9inti Tlu9ti tuTla9i Tla9iintu Tlu9tu tuTla9u Tla9u

ana Tlu9t uTla9niHna Tlu9na nuTla9

• ntabah (to be careful, to pay attention) is a MeasureVII verb.


huwwe ntabah yintibihhiyyi ntabahit tintibihhinni ntabahu yintibhu

inta ntabaht tintibih ntibihinti ntabahti tintibhi ntibhiintu ntabahtu tintibhu ntibhu

ana ntabaht intibihniHna ntabahna nintibih

• sa'at (to ask, to inquire)


huwwe sa'al yis'alhiyyi sa'alit tis'alhinni sa'alu yis'alu

inta sa'alt tis'al s'aalinti sa'alti tis'ali s'aliintu sa'altu tis'alu s'alu

ana sa'alt is'alniHna sa'alna nis'al

66 Spoken Lebanese

• lee'a (to find, to see, to meet someone) The hamza isreplacing the / Q/.


huwwe lee'a ylee'ihiyyi lee'it tlee'ihinni lee'u ylee'u

inta lee'ayt tlee'i lee'iinti lee'ayti tlee'i lee'iintu lee'aytu tlee'u lee'u

ana lee'ayt lee'iniHna lee'ayna nlee'i

• 9irif (to know, to recognize) is a sound Measure Iverb.


huwwe 9irif ya9rifhiyyi 9irfit ta9rifhinni 9irfu ya9rfu

inta 9rift ta9rif 9raafinti 9rifti ta9rfi 9rafiintu 9riftu ta9rfu 9rafu

ana 9rift a9rifniHna 9rifna na9rif

• Dayya9 (to lose, to get lost) is not to be confused withxisir: to lose money in business, investment, property,or in gambling.



huwwe Dayya9 yDayyi9hiyyi Dayya9it tDayyi9hinni Dayya9u yDayy9u

inta Dayya9t tDayyi9 Dayyi9inti Dayya9ti tDayy9i Dayy9iintu Dayya9tu tDayy9u Dayy9u

ana Dayya9t Dayyi9niHna Dayya9na nDayyi9

OTHER USEfUL VOCABULARY

Colors: Adjectives of color follow the noun theymodify.

whiteblackredgreenyellowbluebrownbeigepinkgraynavy blueorangevioletgoldsilver

masc.

abyaDaswadaHmaraxDaraSfarazra'binnibeejzahrrmeedikiHlibird'aanibanafsajidihabifuDDi

feme pl.

bayDa biiDsawda suudHamra HumrxaDra xuDrSafra Sufrzar'a zir'binniyyi

rmeediyyikiHliyyi

68 Spoken Lebanese

Directions

updownbehindin frontonnearbeforeafterfarcloseinside

outsideherethere

Road Conditions

wide

narrowpavedemptyholemiddlesideslipperyicycleandirtylitterdangerous

faw'taRtwara, xalfiddeem9alaRadd, janb'ablba9db9iid'ariibjuwwa, inside something: bi'alb,e.g. bi'alb-Ibayt: inside the housebarrahawnhuniik

9ariiD, 9ariiDa (fern.); weesi9,wees9a (fern.)Dayyi', Dayy'a (fern.)mzaffat, mzaffatte (fern.)faaDe, faaDye (fern.)juura, juwar (pI.)nuSSTarafbitzaHHitmjallad, mjallde (fern.)nDiif, nDiife (fern.)mijwi, mijwiyye (fern.)zbeelexuTra

safecheck pointticket

REINFORCEMENT

eemneHeejizZabT


• Give someone coming to see you precisedirections on how to find your house.

• Look around you and locate a specific itemusing the vocabulary you learned.

• Compare the road conditions in a big city tothe ones in a small town. City: madiine, town:madiine zGiire

• What are your favorite colors?

Chapter Seven

Food & Nutrition

Chapter Seven: Food & Nutntlon 71

In this chapter you will become familiarwith Lebanese food and cuisine. You willlearn about customs and mannersrelated to socializing when invited for ameal at someone's house.

The verbs conjugated in this chapter are:faram, jeeb, amar.

DIALOGUE I

*huda:*layla:

*huda:

*layla:

*huda:

*layla:

*huda:

masa-lxayr ya *layla, fu 9amta9mli?mafGuuli lafaw' raasi. *saliim 9azam nees9al9afa, wmif 9aarfi fu baddi HaDDirlun.basiiTa, talfni 9almaT9am, w'uulilunyib9atulik fwayyit mezeet, w'inti 9mili fiSaHn ruzz 9adjeej, wjaaT salaTa ma9u.fikra 9aZiime, bus bfaDDil a9mil SaHntabbuule, badl-ssalaTa. fu ra'yik?fu baddik bittabbuule, bteexud wa't ktiir,farm ba'duunis wbanaduura wbaSal,wma 9indik wa't lakil hal'ifya.ma9ik Ha'. raH HuTT-ddjeej 9annaar,wtalfin la*saliim illu yjiib fi jaaT bi'leewama9u. yalla bxaatrik.ma9-ssaleeme.


If you are invited to a dinner party in Lebanon, youare not expected to arrive sharply on time. You may bringwith you pastries, flowers (zhuur), or a bottle of alcoholic beverage if it is not religiously offensive to your host.

72 Spoken Lebanese

Exchanging kisses and hugs is not a common practice.It is only reserved for relatives and very close friends. Insome conservative families, gender segregation is part oflife and handshakes with women are prohibited.

Dinner starts usually after 8:00 and lasts several hours.People take short pauses between the courses of the meal.Music, songs, and dance may be a part of the dinner party.

maJGuuli: busy, occupied, maJGuul (masc.).

lafaw' raasi: up to my head, very busy.

9azam: to invite, conjugated like Jakar in Chapter II.

nees: generic term for people, guests.

9aJa: dinner.

mil: negative particle, usually precedes nouns,active participles, demonstratives, andprepositional phrases.

9aarfe: active participle feme of 9irif (to know),9aarif (masc.), 9aarfiin (pl.).

HaDDirlun: prepare for them. Imperf. of HaDDar (toprepare), conjugated like 9arraf in ChapterII. The III that precedes the pronominalsuffix lunl is a preposition meaning: for.In this context, prepare means to cook(Tabax), conjugated like faram.

basiiTa: never mind, it is o.k., do not worry.

maT9am: restaurant, maTaa9im (pl.).

Chapter Seven: Food & Nutrition 73

uulilun: tell them. Imp. of 'eel (to say). SeeChapter III.

yib9atulik: they send to you. Imperf. of ba9at (to send).See Chapter IV.

Jway: a little. fway fway means slowly. Jwayyitis used before nouns.

mezeet: appetizers. The leb. cuisine is very famousfor its rich and varied meeza which is aselection of many small dishes of appetizers.

SaHn: plate, dish, SHuun (pl.).

ruzz: rice.

djeej: chicken. ruzz 9adjeej is a famous dish.Cooked chicken is served over rice cookedwith ground beef, pine nuts and almonds.

jaaT: big plate, juuT (pl.).

salaTa: green salad with lettuce, tomatoes,cucumbers, etc....

fikra: idea, afkaar (pl.).

9aZiime: great, fantastic, 9aZiim (masc.).

bfaDDil: I prefer. Imperf. of faDDal (to prefer),conjugated like 9arraf in Chapter II.

tabbuule: the famous leb. salad, made with crackedwheat "burGul", tomatoes, parsley, onions,

74 Spoken Lebanese

lemon juice, olive oil, and spices. It is timeconsuming to prepare such a dish.

badl: instead.

Iu ra'yik: what is your opinion? What ~o you think?ra'y means opinion.

Iu baddik: what do you want? Iu baddik b... means:leave .... aside, forget about... Iu baddikbittabbuule: forget about tabbuule. Youmay review verb badd in Chapter IV.

wa't: time.

farm: chopping, cutting. Verbal noun of faram(to chop, to cut, to mince). See grammarnotes.

ba'duunis: parsley.

banaduura: tomatoes.

baSal: onion.

iIya: things, items, objects, Ii (sing.).

ma9ik Ha': you are right.

yjiib: he brings. Imperf. of jeeb (to bring). Seegrammar notes.

bi'leewa: famous Arabic pastry made with fillodough, nuts, pistachios, and a rose watersyrup called ('aTr).

Chapter Seven' Food & Nutrition 75

DIALOGUE II

garson:rrijjeel:

garson:rrijjeel:garson:

rrijjeel:lmara:

rrijjeel:

garson:

rrijjeel:

garson:rrijjeel:

ahla wsahla, tfaDDalu.baddi Taawle laJaxSayn, Hadd-JJibbeekiza mumkin.tikram 9aynak. tfaDDalu,TTaawle HaaDra.Ju 9indak Ji Taaza wTayyib lyawm?fi kibbi, laHm miJwi, kafta, JiiJ Tawuu',wTab9an fi 9inna samak Taaza.Ju bitHibbi teekli ya 9ayni?Taali9 9abeele SaHn samak, ma9 Hummuswbaaba Gannuuj.9mul ma9ruuf jiblna jaaT samak, wjaaTxuDra, wIwayyit mezeet.tikram 9aynak. Ju bitHibbu tiJrabu 9ara',aw biira?jibla anniinit *pepsi lalmadaam, w'anniinitbiira iIi. w9mul ma9ruuf 9Tiina fi anniinitmay, wmanfaDa zGiiri weHyeetak.HaaDir, btu'mur Ii Gayru?la', saleemtak.


Although fast food restaurants like Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chiken are becoming increasingly popular inLebanon, traditional restaurants are still very attractive. Oneshould count at least two hours for lunch and three hoursfor dinner in a gourmet restaurant.

Since it is not customary to go out for breakfast, peoplesettle instead for a croissant, a thyme pie (man'uufi), a quicksandwich, or (ka9kit kneefe) a cheese based pastry stuffedin sesame seed bread.

Lunch and dinner begin with appetizers (meeza) followed by the main course which is usually grilled meat or

76 Spoken Lebanese

poultry, game or fish, then fruits and pastry. Coffee is servedat the end of the meal. Despite the fact that many peopleare becoming aware of the dangers of tobacco, smoking isnot forbidden in restaurants. Some people take a cigarettebreak during their meal, others enjoy smoking a water pipe(argiile). You may discreetly ask your waiter to seat youaway from smokers.

garson:

Taawle:

faxSayn:

Hadd:

fibbeek:

iza:

mumkin:

tikram:

HaaDra:

Taaza:

lyawm:

kibbi:

waiter, from French "gar\on", you mayalso use the word "maitre".

table, Taawleet (pl.).

dual of faxS, person, individual, afxaaS(pl.).

near, close to.

window, fbebiik (pl.).

if.

possible.

also (tikram 9aynak, or tikram 9aynik), isa courtesy expression that means literally"may your eye be honored". In thiscontext it means: at your service, I amhappy to oblige.

ready, HaaDir (masc.).

fresh.

today.

famous Lebanese dish made with ground


meat, cracked wheat (burGul), choppedonions, pine nuts, and spices.

There are several kinds of kibbis:kibbi nayyi: raw kibbikibbi bilfurn: baked kibbikibbit baTaaTa: potato kibbikibbit la'Tiin: pumpkin kibbi

laHm: meat, in general red meat.

miJwi: grilled, from verb Jiwi (to grill).Conjugated like Hiki in Chapter IV.

kafta: ground meet with minced parsley, choppedonions, and spices. It may be served raw,baked, or grilled on a skewer (JiiJ kafta).

JiiJ Tawuu': marinated chicken tenders grilled on askewer.

Tab9an: of course.

samak: fish.

teekli: you eat. Imperf. of akal (to eat),conjugated like axad in Chapter V.

Taali9 9abeele: I feel like, I am craving for.

HummuS: garbanzo bean paste, with tahini sauce,lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and spices.

babaGannuuj: baked eggplant, mashed withtahini sauce, lemon juice, olive oil,garlic, and spices.

78 Spoken Lebanese

xuDra: vegetables.

9ara': the Lebanese national drink, similar to theGreek Ouzo, made out of grapes and anisseeds. It is a clear drink that turns milkywhite when mixed with water. It is servedin small cups called "kees". When youdrink to someone's health over a mealyou say "keesak" or "keesik" or "keeskun",which means: to your health! Cheers!

biira: beer.

jibli: bring me, get me. Imp. of jeeb (to bring).See grammar notes.

annini: bottle, aneeni (pl.).

may: water. Although Lebanon is blessed withmany fountains and rivers, people feelmore comfortable drinking water inspectedand bottled by private companies.

manfaDa: ashtray, manaafiD (pl.).

weHyeetak: by your life. It is a courtesy expressionwhich usually means "please", "if you donot mind".

btu'mur: at your command. Imperf. of amar (toorder, to command, to request).See grammar notes.

Ii Gayru: anything else, something else.


saleemtak: your safety. In this context it means"nothing, thank you".

GRAMMAR NOTES

• faram (to chop, to mince) is a sound Measure I verb.


huwwe faram yufrumhiyyi faramit tufrumhinni faramu yufrmu

inta faramt tufrum fruminti faramti tufrmi frumiintu faramtu tufrmu frumu

ana faramt ufrumniHna faramna nufrum

• jeeb (to bring, to get) is a Hollow verb.


huwwe jeeb yjiibhiyyi jeebit tjiibhinni jeebu yjiibu

inta jibt tjiib jiibinti jibti tjiibi jiibiintu jibtu tjiibu jiibu

ana jibt jiibniHna jibna njiib

80 Spoken Lebanese

• amar (to order, to command, to request) is aHamzated verb.


huwwe amar yu'murhiyyi amarit tu'murhinni amaru yu'mru

inta amart tu'mur 'murinti amarti tu'mri 'muriintu amartu tu'mru 'muru

ana amart 'u'murniHna amarna nu'mur


Food. For an extended list of food items, please lookat the appendix.

Vegetables (xuDra)

artichokeasparagusbeans (green)

(kidney)(lima)

beetcabbagecarrotcauliflowercorncucumbereggplantleeks

arDiffawkehalyuunluubye xaDrafaSuulyafaSuulya 9ariiDafmandarmalfuufjazararnabiiTdaraxyaarbatinjeensil'


lentils 9adaslettuce xassonion baSalsquash kuusatomato banaduura

Meats

beef ba'archicken djeejfish samaklamb Ganamveal 9ijl

Fruits

apple tiffeeHbanana mawzcherry karazfig tiingrape 9inablemon laymuun HaamuDorange laymuunplum xawxwatermelon baTTiix

Spices

garlic tuummint na9na9mustard xardalparsley ba'duunispepper bhaarsalt milHsesame simsum

82 Spoken Lebanese

Restaurant (maT9am)

ashtraybreadchaircupdishforkglassknifenapkinsaltshakerspoontabletablecloth

Beverages

juicelemonademilkwaterwine

Personal Reactions

disgustedfullhungrystarvingthirsty

REINfORCEMENT

manfaDaxibzkirsefinjeenSaHnJawkekibbeeyesikkiinfuuTamamlaHamal9'aTaawleJarJaf

9aSiirlaymunaaDaHaliibmaynbiid

'irfaanfib9aanjuu9aanmxawwar9aTfaan

• You are having friends over for dinner,what will you prepare for them?


• You are in a Lebanese restaurant ask the waiterabout the daily special, then place an order.

• You notice that the fork and the knife aremissing, bring that to the attention of yourwaiter.

• Ask your waiter to bring you the check (Hseeb)

Chapter EIght' ClothIng 85

In this chapter you will learn about clothing, apparel, fashion, fabrics, and otherrelated items.

The verbs conjugated in this chapter are:libis, tlee'a, seefar, nisi.

DIALOGUE I

*amaal:

*naadia:

*amaal:

*naadia:

*amaal:

*naadia:

*amaal:

*saamia 9azmitna 9ala 9urs binta bukra,w9ala Haflit-l'isti'beel. meHtaara ya*naadia Ju baddi ilbus.walaw! xzeentik mitleene fsaTiinwtayyreraat. layJ rna btilbsi fusTaanl'aswad-TTawiil? Helu ktiir 9layki.fusTaan l'aswad Saar Dayyi' Jway 9layyi,wma 9indi jizdeen yruuH ma9u.Tayyib, Ju ra'yik bihayda-ttayyrer-lkiHli?modelu Helu, w9indik skarbini wjizdeenbiruuHu ma9u.fikra 9aZiime. 9indi 9a'd, wjawz Hala'byilba'uulu ktiir, raH ilbisun ma9u. 9alafikra, ayya see9a raH truuHi 9indlHillaa'?ma9i maw9ad-ssee9a tis9a wnuSS, baddi'uSS Ja9ri wZabbTu Jway.9aal, ana ma9i maw9ad ma9u ssee9a9aJra. mnitlee'a huniik lakeen.


In general, Lebanese follow closely the latest stylesand fashions of European and Western designers. This isthe reason why many foreign expressions related to

86 Spoken Lebanese

clothing became integrated into the Lebanese dialect. Thetraditional Lebanese attire is only visible in some villages.Some Lebanese feel more comfortable wearing conservative clothing in accordance with their religious belief.

9urs: wedding

bukra: tomorrow

Hafle: party, celebration. Haflit l'isti'beel isthe cocktail party or reception followingthe wedding. The word "cocktail" isalso used.

meHtara: confused, puzzled, hesitant, meHtaar(masc.). It is derived from verb Htaarwhich means: to be confused, unable tochoose.

ilbus: I wear. Imperf. of libis (to wear). Seegrammar notes.

walaw: interjection meaning: come on!

xzeene: closet, wardrobe, xzeneet (pl.).

mitleen: full, mitleene (fem.). One could also say(milyeen/rnilyeene).

fsaaTiin: dresses, fusTaan (sing.).

tayyceraat: ladies suits, tayycer (sing.).

layJ: wh)T, also one may say (lay).

Tawiil: long, tall, Tawiile (fem.).

Helu:

9layki:

Saar:

Dayyi':

ba9deen:

jizdeen:

Chapter Eight: Clothing 87

beautiful, nice, sweet, Hilwe (fem.).

on you, formed by the preposition 9alaand the feme pronominal suffix ki. Thepreposition changes form if connected toa pronominal suffix.

became, happened. Conjugated like Daa9in Chapter IV.

tight, narrow, Dayy'a (fem.).

furthermore, later.

purse, bag, jzediin (pl.).

yruuH ma9u: to match it, to go with it.

kiHli:

model:

skarbiini:

fikra:

9a'd:

jawz:

Hala':

byilba':

navy blue, kiHliyyi (fem.).

style, fashion.

ladies shoes.

idea, thought, afkaar (pl.).

neckless, 9'uud (pl.).

pair, husband.

ear rings, Hal'a (sing.). Hala' also means:to shave.

it matches, it goes with. Imperf. of (libi')to match, to go with, conjugated like riji9in Chapter III.

88 Spoken Lebanese

9ala fikra: by the way.

Hillaa': hairdresser, barber. The word "coiffeur"is also used.

maw9ad: appointment, mawa9iid (pl.).

'uSS: I cut. Imperf. of 'aSS (to cut), conjugatedlike HaTT in Chapter IV.

ZabbTu: I fix it. Imperf. of ZabbaT (to fix, to repair),conjugated like 9arraf in Chapter II.

mnitlee'a: we will meet. Imperf. of tlee'a (to meet, torun into). See grammar notes.

huniik: overthere.

lakeen: so, thus, therefore.

DIALOGUE II

*xaliil: fu ya *9iSaam, aymta msaafir 9a*nyuyorkmin Gayr farr?

*9iSaam: ba9d yawmayn, iza *alla biriid. inta 9iftb*nyuyork, kiif-TTa's biffiti huniik?

*xaliil: fi ktiir Sa'9a wtalj. ma tinsa teexud ma9akkabbuut wfamsiyye wtyeeb fatwiyye.

*9iSaam: Tab9an, raH eexud ma9i kameen kamkanzi wkalseet Suuf, wfi SubbaaT xarj ttalj.

*xaliil: kam fanta eexid ma9ak?*9iSaam: fanta wiHdi, ma bHibb Hammil GraaD

ktiir.*xaliil: xud ma9ak fi badle rasmiyye ma9 'amiiS

bayDa wkravaat, barki n9azamt 9a fi Hafle.

*9iSaam:

*xaliil:*9iSaam:


ma9ak Ha', ma9 innu ana bfaDDil ilbusbnaTliin w'umSaan spor,bas rna Hada bya9rif...Tayyib, nfalla bitruuH wibtirja9 bissaleeme.mamnuunak ya *xaliil.


mseefar: travelling. Active participle of seefar (totravel, to go on a trip). See grammar notes.

min Gayr farr: lit. without evil. It is an idiomaticexpression used to wish that theevent will take place without anyaccidents or mishaps.

yawmayn: two days, dual of yawm.

iza *alla biriid: God willing.

9ift:

Ta's:

biffiti:

Sa'9a:

talj:

rna tinsa:

you lived. Perf. of geef (to live, to reside),conjugated like jeeb in Chapter VII.

weather.

in the winter.

cold, low temperature.

snow.

do not forget. It is a negative commandformed by the negation (rna) and theimperf. of verb nisi (to forget).See grammar notes.

90 Spoken Lebanese

kabbuut: coat, kbabiit (pI). It also means "condom".

tyeeb: clothes.

Satwiyye: wintry, adj. related to Siti (winter).

kam: a few, (followed by a sing. noun) in anaffirmative sentence. It means "how much,how many" in an interrogative sentence.

kanzi: sweater, kanzeet (pl.).

kalseet: socks.

Suuf: wooL

SubbaaT: shoe, SbabiiT (pl.).

xarj: suitable, good for, proper.

Santa: suitcase, Sinat (pl.).

Hammil: I load up. Imperf. of Hammal (to load),conjugated like 9arraf in Chapter II.

GraaD: things, items, articles, GaraD (sing.).

rasmiyye: formal, serious.

'amiiS: shirt, 'umSaan (pl.).

kravaat: neck tie. From French "cravate".

barki: in case, may be, perhaps.

n9azamt: you were invited. From verb n9azam (to be


invited), conjugated like ntabah inChapter VI.

9a Ii: to any given...., to a .....

ma9 innu: despite the fact that.

bfaDDil: I prefer. Imperf. of faDDal (to prefer),conjugated like 9arraf in Chapter II.

bnaaTliin: pants, trousers, bantalon (sing.).

spor: sport, relaxing.

ma Hada: no one. ma Hada bya9rif: no one knows,no one can telL Imperf. of 9irif (to know),see grammar notes.

bissaleeme: with safety. May you have a safe trip.

GRAMMAR NOTES

• libis (to wear, to put on) is a sound Measure I verb.


huwwe libis yilbushiyyi libsit tilbushinni libsu yilbsu

inta Ibist tilbus Ibuusinti lbisti tilbsi Ibisiintu Ibistu tilbsu Ibisu

ana Ibist ilbusniHna Ibisna nilbus

92 Spoken Lebanese

• tlee'a (to meet, to run into) is a defective Measure VIverb. It takes a IyI when connected to a pronominalsuffix.


huwwe tlee'a yitlee'ahiyyi tlee'it titlee'ahinni tlee'u yitlee'u

inta tlee'ayt titlee'i tlee'ainti tlee'ayti titlee'i tlee'iintu tlee'aytu titlee'u tlee'u

ana tlee'ayt itlee'aniHna tlee'ayna nitlee'a

• seefar (to travel) is a Measure III verb.


huwwe seefar yseefirhiyyi seefarit tseefirhinni seefaru yseefru

inta sefart tseefir seefirinti sefarti tseefri seefriintu sefartu tseefru seefru

ana sefart seefirniHna sefarna nseefir

• nisi (to forget) is a defective Measure I verb.


huwwe nisi yinsahiyyi nisyit tinsahinni nisyu yinsu

inta nsiit tinsainti nsiiti tinsiintu nsiitu tinsu

ana nsiit insaniHna nsiina ninsa


Man's clothing


Imperative

nsansinsu

bathing suitbeltbootsbowtiebriefsgloveshandkerchiefhatjacketjeanspajamasraincoatsandalssneekerssuitsuspendersT-shirt

mayo'faaTbotpapiyonsliipkfuufmaHrameburnaytTajakeetjiinzpijaamatranfkotSundaalspadriTa'mbruteleettifert

94 Spoken Lebanese

tuxedoundershirtvestwallet

Woman's clothing

blousebrachange pursecoatevening gownfur coatpantyhosescarfshoesskirtslip fullsockssuitunderwear

Fabrics

cashmerecottonflannelgabardineleathernylonpolyestersilkwool

smokinfanellaSudriyyemaHfZa

bluuzeSudriyyejizdeen zGiirkabbuutfusTaan tawiil, fusTaan sahrakabbuut farukollanifarpskarbiinetannuurakombinezonkalseettayyrerkilot

kaJmiir'uTunfanellagavardiinjildnaylonpolyesterHariirSuuf


Sizes

biglongshortsmalltightwide

REINFORCEMENT

kbiirTawiil'aSiirzGiirDayyi'weesi9, 9ariiD

• Describe what you are wearing today.Try to be specific and give fabrics and colors.

• Make a list of clothes you will take on yournext trip to Lebanon.

• What would you wear if you are invited to aformal party?

• What would you wear if you are goingon a ski trip?

Chapter Nine

Health & Medical Problems

Chapter Nine' Health & Medical Problems 97

In this chapter you will learn about thehuman body and common health problems. You will also learn about someillnesses associated with travelling andliving in a foreign country.

The verbs conjugated in this chapter are:neem, wiji9, waSaf.

DIALOGUE I

*nawaal:

*kati:

*nawaal:*kati:

*nawaal:

*kati:

*nawaal:

*kati:

Ju biki ya *kati? mbayyan 9layki te9beene,w9aynayki Humr.Sad'iini ya *nawaal, miJ neeyme kil-Ilayl.9indi waja9 raas, w9am bis9ul ktiir.axadti Haraartik Ji?la'. bas Haassi inni maHruura Jway, wkiljismi 9am yuja9ni.bi9ti'id ma9ik *griip. fi mawjit *griipbilbalad, wfi ktiir nees saaxne hal'iyyeem.Ju ra'yik leezim a9mil? bruuH9almistaJfa?laa. l*griip ma baddu mistaJfa. izamitdeey'a ktiir, ruuHi 9ind-IHakiimbarki byuuSuflik Ji dawa wbitSiiri aHsan.saleemit I albik.mersi ya *nawaal, *alla ysallmik.


It takes a serious illness for someone to see a doctor.Routine check ups are not yet very common, because Lebanon enjoys four distinct seasons, and in general peopleare healthy.

98 Spoken Lebanese

Medical care is the finest in the region because of thegood quality of the Lebanese medical schools, and becausemost doctors and physicians are trained in Europe, theUnited States, and other well known medical schools inthe world.

Private hospitals are thriving because many peopleare reluctant to seek medical help in public health facilities.

Iu biki: what is wrong with you? What is thematter with you?

mbayyan: it looks, it seems, it appears. From verbbayyan (to appear), conjugated like 9arrafin Chapter II.

te9beene: tired, te9been (masc.).

9aynayki: your eyes, dual of 9ayn.

Sad'iini: believe me. Imp. of Sadda' (to believe),conjugated like 9arraf in Chapter II.

neeyme: sleeping. Active participle of neem (tosleep). See grammar notes.

kil: all, the whole.

layl: night, darkness.

waja9: pain, ache, awjee9 (pl.).

raas: head, ruus (pl.).

9am bis9ul: I am coughing. Imperf. of sa9al (to

Chapter Nine: Health & Medical Problems 99

cough), conjugated like Jakar in ChapterII. See Chapter III regarding use of 9am.

Haraara: temperature, fever.

Haasse: I am feeling. Active participle of Hass (tofeel), conjugated like Habb in Chapter II.

maHruura: feverish, maHruur (masc.).

jism: body, ajseem (pl.).

yuja9ni: is aching, is hurting. This is a very commonexpression associated with pain and ache. Youadd the part of the body that hurts to thisexpression in order to complain about the pain.If the part of the body is feme the expressionbecomes tuja9ni; if it is plural: yuja9uuni.e.g. baTni 9am yuja9ni: my stomach is hurting,etc....Imperf. of wiji9 (to hurt, to ache). Seegrammar notes.

bi9ti'id: I believe, I think. Imperf. of 9ta'ad (to believe, to deem), conjugated like Jtagal inChapter v.

*griip: flu, from French" la grippe".

mawje: wave, epidemic.

balad: country, bildeen (pl.).

nees: people.

saaxne: sick, saaxin (masc.).

100 Spoken Lebanese

mistaffa: hospital, mistaffayeet (pl.).

mitDaaya'a: not feeling well, bothered, annoyed,mitDaaya' (masc.).

Hakiim: physician, M.D., wiseman. The worddoktrer is also used.

byuuSuflik: he will prescribe for you. Imperf. of waSaf(to prescribe, to describe). See grammarnotes.

dawa: medication, idwye (pl.).

bitSiiri: you will become. Imperf. of Saar (tobecome, to happen), conjugated like Daa9in Chapter IV.

saleemit I albik: lit. may your heart be safe. I hopeyou feel better.

DIALOGUE II

*bernar:*9ali:

*bernar:*9ali:

*bernar:*9ali:

*bernar:

fu ya *9ali, feeyfak 9am ti9ruj, fu-I'uSSa?Saar ma9i Haadis siyyaara mbeeriH9aTarii' *Sayda, bas IHamdilla ma Hadameet.miin keen fi ma9ak bissiyyaara?keen fi ma9i immi w'uxti. immi rawwaHitraasa fway, w'uxti jaraHit iida.fu 9miltu b9ad IHaadis?ijit siyyaarit l'is9aaf w'axaditna 9amistaffa*Sayda. Huniik Sawwaruula raasala'immi, w'aTTabuula iida la'uxti.Tawwaltu bilmistaffa?

*9ali:

*bernar:*9ali:


la' mif ktiir. b'iina fi see9a wnuSSbiGurfit-TTawaari', wba9deen rji9na9albayt.IHamdilla 9assaleeme ya *9ali.nufkur Hamdak ya axi.


Foreigners may find driving in Lebanon very hazardous. One has to be very careful because roads are verycongested and the speed limit is not always respected.Lebanese are known for their aggressive driving style. Thecompletion of works on major highways and roads maysolve the traffic problems and improve driving mannersin the future.

Urgent medical care is available around the clock inprivate and public hospitals. Certain pharmacies, speciallyin large cities are open 24 hours. Ambulances are operated by the government, by private hospitals, or charitable organizations.

feeyfak:

ti9ruj:

fu-I'uSSa:

Saar ma9i:

Haadis:

siyyaara:

I see you. Active participle of feef (to see,to notice), conjugated like keen.

you limp. Imperf. of 9araj (to limp),conjugated like fakar in Chapter II.

what is the story? What's happening?'uSSa: story, 'uSaS (pl.).

I had, it happened to me.

accident, Haweedis (pl.).

car, siyyaraat (pl.).

102 Spoken Lebanese

*Sayda:

ma Hada:

meet:

rawwaH:

jaraH:

iid:

is9aaf:

Sawwar:

'aTTab:

Tawwal:

bi'i:

Sidon, a large historical city south ofBeirut. It is known for its fortress, its port,and its Arabic pastries.

no one.

to die, conjugated like keen in Chapter III.

to hurt, to be injured, conjugated like9arraf in Chapter II. .

to injure, to wound, conjugated like sa'alin Chapter VI.

hand, idayn (dual), ayeede (pl.).

ambulance. The word JIambulance" is alsoused.

to x-ray, to take a picture, conjugated like9arraf in Chapter II.

to stitch, to sew, conjugated like 9arraf inChapter II.

to stay too long, to lengthen, conjugatedlike 9arraf in Chapter II.

to stay, to remain. See Chapter III.

GRAMMAR NOTES

• neem (to sleep) is a hollow verb.

Chapter Nine' Health & Medical Problems 103


huwwe neem yneemhiyyi neemit tneemhinni neemu yneemu

inta nimt tneem neeminti nimti tneemi neemiintu nimtu tneemu neemu

ana nimt neemniHna nimna nneem

• wiji9 (to ache, to be hurt) is an assimilated verb. It isusually associated with parts of the body.


huwwe wiji9 yuuja9hiyyi wij9it tuuja9hinni wij9u yuuja9u

inta wji9t tuuja9 not applicableinti wji9ti tuuja9iintu wji9tu tuuja9u

ana wji9t 'uuja9niHna wji9na nuuja9

• waSaf (to prescribe, to describe) is an assimilatedverb.


huwwe waSaf yuuSufhiyyi waSafit tuuSufhinni waSafu yuuSfu

104 Spoken Lebanese

inta waSaft tuuSuf wSuufinti waSafti tuuSfi wSufiintu waSaftu tuuSfu wSufu

ana waSaft 'uuSufniHna waSafna nuuSuf


The Human Body (jism-l'inseen)

Sing. PI. (most common)

ankle keeHil kweeHilback Dahrbladder mabwaleblood dammbody jism ajseembone 9aDme 9Daambrain nxaa9 nxa9aatbreast Sudr Sduuracheek xadd xduudchest Sudrchin da'n d'uunear dayne dinaynelbow kuu9 kwee9eye 9ayn 9yuunface wijj wjeehfinger uSbi9 'Sabii9foot ijrgallbladder mraaragum niirehand iid ayeedehead raas ruusheart 'alb 'luub

Chapter Nine: Health &Medical Problems 105

hip wirk wraakjaw fakjoint mafSal mafaaSilkidney kilwe kleeweknee rikbe rikableg faxd fxaadlip fiffe ffeefliver kibid kbeedlung riyya raweeyamouth timm tmeemmuscle 9aDai 9aDalaatnail Dufr Dafiirneck ra'be r'eebnerve 9aSab a9Saabnose munxaar mnexiirshoulder kitf kteefskin jild jluudstomach baTn, mi9dithroat zle9iim, Hunjra Haneejirvein 9ir', firyeen 9ruu', frayiin

Commom Illnesses

blood pressurecoldconstipationcoughdiarrheadizzinessinfectioninflammationinsomniaheartburnhemorrhage

DaGT (9aali: high; waaTi: low)raJHimseek, kteemsa9lesheeldawxailtiheebwaram'ala'Har'anaziif

106 Spoken Lebanese

Some Serious Illnesses

AIDScancerdiabetesheart attackjaundiceparalysistuberculosisulcer

sidasaraTaansikkarikriiza bil'albSfayrafalalsillirHa

Some Handicaps

Masc. Fern. PI.

blind a9ma 9amya 9imyeencross-eyed aHwal Hawla Huulcrazy axwat, xawta, xuut,

majnuun majnuune mjeniindeaf aTraf Tarfa Turflame a9raj 9arja 9irjmute axras xarsa xirsparalyzed mafluul mafluule mafluliin

Some Injuries

fractureligament sprainsprain

Vaccines (Tu9m)

measlesmumpspoliosmallpox

kisrfalfit 9ruu'fikf

tfiifi, HaSbibuk9aybfalaljidri


REINFORCEMENT

• You are in a pharmac~ ask the pharmacistfor a medication for your headache andcough.

• You have the flu, describe to your doctorsome of the symptoms associated with the flu.

• You were involved in a car accident, describewhat happened and the injuries you havesuffered.

• What are some of the common illnesses aforeigner may have when he/she visits a newcountry?

Chapter Ten

Professions & Careers

Chapter Ten: Professions & Careers 109

In this chapter you will learn about work,working conditions, professions, careers,as well as other related subjects.

The verbs conjugated in this chapter are:Dall, ba9d (followed by a pronoun).

DIALOGUE I

*andre:*Hasan:

*andre:*Hasan:

*andre:

*Hasan:*andre:

*Hasan:

SabaaH-Ixayr. lmhandis *Habiib mawjuud?la', ma9-I'asaf tarak 'abl fway, 9indu fuGIbilwarfe lyawm.bta9rif ayya see9a raH yirja9?bi9ti'id ba9d-DDuhr. 9indu ijtimee9 ma9IHiddeed, wnnijjaar, wssangari. wba9deenbaddu yfuuf lkihrabji wlbullaaT.mumkin itriklu xabar yuttuSil fiyyi lammayirja9?tikram 9aynak, miin b'illu?ImuHaami *andre *matta min firkitDDamaan-lwaTani.tfirrafna isteez *andre, lamma byirja9l'isteez *Habiib bwaSSillu lxabar.


Traditionally, lawyers, physicians, engineers, andarmy officers were the favorite professions in Lebanon tothe point that the market was glutted and Lebenese experienced shortness of skilled workers and labor. Thanks tomany professional schools, young Lebanese have otheroptions than going to universities and institutes of highereducation.

110 Spoken Lebanese

mhandis:

mawjuud:

ma9-I'asaf:

tarak:

JuGI:

warJe:

ijtimee9

Hiddeed:

nijjaar:

sangari:

kihrabji:

bullaaT:

muHaami:

Jirki:

Damaan:

waTani:

isteez:

engineer, mhandsiin (pl.).

present, available, mawjuude (fem.).

with regrets, sorry.

to leave, conjugated like Jakar in Chapter II.

work, business, employment.

building site, working site, wiraJ (pl.).

meeting, ijtime9aat (pl.).

blacksmith, Hiddediin (pl.).

carpenter, nijjariin (pl.).

plumber, sangariyyi (pl.).

electrician, from kahraba: electricity.kihrabjiyyi (pl.).

floor tile layer, bullaTiin (pl.).

lawyer, attorney, muHamiyyi (pl.)

company, corporation, Jirak (pl.).

insurance, warranty.

national.

lit. means teacher. It is a title used toaddress educated people like professors,lawyers, and engineers.

bwaSSillu:

DIALOGUE II

*salma:*muna:*salma:*muna:

*salma:*muna:

*salma:

*muna:*salma:

*muna:*salma:*muna:


I will convey to him, I will relate to him.From verb waSSal (to deliver, to convey),conjugated like 9arraf in Chapter II.

fta'neelik ya *muna, wayn halGaybe?bDal1 mafGuule bilbayt wma9 luwleed.wayn Saaru wleedik bilmadrasi?likbiir, teelit sini jeem9a, 9am yitxaSSaSbi'idaarit-I'a9meel, witteeni, 9am yidrusmuHaasabi.wbintik-zzGiiri wayn Saarit?ba9da bissaanawiyye, raH t'addim hassini9al*bakalorya nfalla. w'inti, kiif 9ayltik?killun mneeH IHamdilla. ibni likbiir 9amyidrus farmafeeni bikillyit-TTub, wbintilikbiiri 9am tidrus 9uluum siyasiyyebiljeem9a-Ilibneeniyye, ba9d badda siniHatta titxarraj.w'ibnik-zzGiir, fu 9am yamil hal'iyyeem?xallaS l*bakalorya wfeet 9alHarbiyyi,baddu ya9mil ZaabiT biljayf.*alla yiHmii, wyxalliilik yaahun.yxalli wleedik. Tayyib xallina nfuufik.tDalli bxayr.


The Lebanese educational system is rated among thebest in the world. This is mainly due to bilingualism (Arabic-English and Arabic-French), and to the stiff and rigorous screening that students undergo from elementaryschools to universities. Every educated Lebanese speaksat least two languages and has a knowledge of another.

112 Spoken Lebanese

The school curricula have to conform to the guidelines ofthe Ministry of Education and to the recommendations ofthe highly experienced pedagogues who work at the Educational Research Center.

wayn halGaybe: where have you been? Lit. wherewas this absence?

Gaybe:

bDall:

wleed:

madrasi:

kbiir:

sini:

yitxaSSaS:

absence.

I remain, I stay. Imperf. of Dall (to remain,to stay). See grammar notes.

children, kids, walad (sing.).

school, madeeris (pl.).

old, big, kbaar (pl.).

year, sniin (pl.).

he specializes. Imperf. of txaSSaS (tospecialize, to study), conjugated liketfaDDal in Chapter II.

idaarit-I'a9meel: business administration. idaara:management, a9meel: business.

yidrus: he studies. Imperf. of daras (to study),conjugated like fakar in Chapter II.

muHaasabe: accounting.

ba9da: she is still. When the preposition ba9d isconnected to a pronominal suffix itconveys the meaning of verb to be + still.


saanawiyye: high school. Three years following themiddle school. At the end of the third year,students will take the Baccalaureat exam.

t'addim 9ala: she takes an exam. Imerfect of 'addam 9ala(to take an exam, to be a candidate). 'addam:to present, to offer. Conjugated like 9arrafin Chapter II.

hassini: this year. ha or hal is a short demonstrativeused with masc. and fern. nouns.

*bakaloria: official exam. given at the end of the lasthigh school year. Passing this exam. willgive students access to any universitythat does not require an entrance exam.

9ayle: family, 9iyal (pl.).

farmafeeni: pharmacist. The word Saydali is also used.

killiyyi: college, faculty, school of higher education,killiyyeet (pl.).

Tubb: medicine.

siyasiyye: political.

libneeniyyi: Lebanese, libneeni (masc.).

titxarraj: she graduates. Imperf. of txarraj (to graduate), conjugated like tfaDDal in Chapter II.

iyyeem: days, yawm (masc.).

xallaS: to finish, to complete, conjugated like9arraf in Chapter II.

114 Spoken Lebanese

feet: to enter, to enroll, conjugated like keen inChapter III.

Harbiyyi: military academy where one graduates asa commissioned officer. It is a prestigiousacademy, admission is very competitive.

ZaabiT: officer, ZubbaaT (pl.).

jayf: army.

yiHmii: protect him. Imperf. of Himi (to protect),conjugated like Hiki in Chapter IV.

tDalli bxayr: let's hope so. Lit. may you remainin good health.

GRAMMAR NOTES

• DaII (to remain, to stay) is a doubled verb not to beconfused with daII (to point, to show, to indicate).


huwwe Dall yDal1hiyyi Dallit tDal1hinni Dallu yDallu

inta Dallayt tDal1 Dallinti Dallayti tDalli Dalliintu Dallaytu tDallu Dallu

ana Dallayt DallniHna Dallayna nDal1

• ba9d (after) Preposition, behaves as a verb (to be still)


when connected to a pronominal suffix. It is conjugatedonly in the Imperfect. In order to form the Perfect, theconjugated form of verb keen in the Perfect tenseshould precede it. The Imperative is not applicable.


huwwe keen ba9du ba9duhiyyi keenit ba9da ba9dahinni keenu ba9dun ba9dun

inta kint ba9dak ba9dakinti kinti ba9dik ba9dikintu kintu ba9dkun ba9dkun

ana kint ba9dni ba9dniniHna kinna ba9dna ba9dna


Skilled workers

bakerbutcherbarbershoe repairtaylor

furraanlaHHaamHillee'kindarjixiyyaaT

Other professionals (miHtirfiin)

journalistnursephysicianpilot

SaHaafimmarriddoktrer, HakiimTiyyarji

116 Spoken Lebanese

Artists (finneniin)

artistmusicianpainterphotographerpoetsculptorsingerwriter

finneenmusi'aarrisseemmSawwirfee9irniHHaatmGanni, muTribkeetib

Politicians (siyasiyyi)

ambassadorconsuldeputygovernorjudgemayorministerpresident

REINFORCEMENT

safiir'unSulneeyibHeekim, muHaafiZ'aaDimuxtaarwaziirra'iis

• Describe your educational background.

• What are the professions that require intensivetraining?

• Who are the skilled workers involved in building a house?

• Whom do you call upon if you have a problemwith your plumbing system?

Chapter Ten' ProfessIOns & Careers 117

• What kind of arts do you appreciate? Why?

• Compare the educational system in yourcountry, to the Lebanese educational system.

Chapter Eleven

Housing & Living Conditions

Chapter Eleven: Housing &Living Conditions 119

In this chapter you will learn abouthousing, rentals, furniture, and otherrelated matters.

The verbs conjugated in this chapter are:mara', beerak, farja, thanna, 'a9ad, ttafa'.

DIALOGUE I

*dunya:

rrijjeel:

*dunya*Hayaat:*dunya:

*Hayaat:

*dunya:

*Hayaat:

*dunya:

*Hayaat:

min faDlak ya xaweeja, wayn bayt*kamaal *Tabbaal?awwal bineeye 9alyamiin, wa"fisiyyaartik bilgaraaj, wTla9i bil'asansrerlaTTaabi'-lxeemis, teeni beeb 9aJJmeel.mamnuune. (ba9d Jway)ahla b*dunya, Ju halmufeeja'a-IHilwe?kint meer'a bilHay, Hibbayt beeriklikbiJJi"a-jjdiidi.killik zaw', tfaDDali tafarjiiki 9albayt, basma tweexzina Ii'annu ba9dna 9am nifruJ,wilbayt naa'Su iJya ktiiri.ba9rif, libyuut badda maSruuf ktiir, basIwaaHad byifruJ ma9u ma9u.ma9ik Ha', tfaDDali min hawn. haydaddaar, whaydi 'uuDit-li'9uud. hawdi'uwaD-nnawm, kil 'uuDa ma9aHimmeema. haydi 'uuDit-ssufra,whawnImaTbax. hayda Himmeem laDDyuuf.wara-ImaTbax, fi 'uuDa zGiiri laSSaan9a.wmitl ma Jeeyfe, fi balkoneet deeyirmadaar. wfi kameen Jofaaj wmay suxni.mabruuk, Helu ktiir halbayt, nJallabtithannu fii.Jukranya *dunya, yalla '9adi taniJrabfinjeen 'ahwe.

120 Spoken Lebanese


It is not unusual for friends and family members todrop by and say Hi without calling ahead of time. It isrecommended however to notify people or to call thembefore visiting with them.

Because Lebanon is a very small country (about 4015square miles), land and housing are very expensive. Thecost of living is also very high. This may be the reasonwhy most people have difficulties buying and furnishingtheir new homes. Single homes are becoming very scarcein large cities and even in villages. People prefer to buildapartments or large condominiums on their land andprofit from their sale or rent.

bayt: house, home, byuut (pl.).

wa"fi: stop, park. Imp. of wa"af (to stop, topark), conjugated like 9arraf in Chapter II.

garaaj parking area, garage.

Tla9i: go up. Imp. of Tuli9 (to go up, to ascend,to rank, to appear), conjugated like wuSilin Chapter III.

asansrer: elevator, from French "ascenseur".

Taabi': floor, story, level, Twaabi' (pl.).

beeb: door, bweeb (pl.).

ba9d fway: later on, after a little while.

mufeeja'a: surprise, mufeeja'eet (pl.).

Chapter Eleven: Housing & Living Conditions 121

meer'a: passing by, going by. Active participle ofmara' (to go by). See grammar notes.

Hay: neighborhood, residential area, iHya (pl.).

beerik: from beerak (to congratulate, to bless).See grammar notes.

fi"a: large apartment or condominium, fi'a' (pl.).

jdiidi: new, recent, jdiid (masc.).

killik zaw': you are so kind, so considerate. Lit. youare full of taste.

farjiiki: I show you. Imperf. of verb farja (to show).See grammar notes.

rna tweexzina: do not mind us, do not hold it against us.Negative Imp. of weexaz (to blame, tomind), conjugated like beerak in thischapter.

nifruf: we furnish. Imperf. faraf (to furnish),conjugated like fakar in Chapter II.

naa'Su: it needs, is missing.

ifya: things, items, objects, fi (sing.)

maSruuf: expense, spending, mSariif (pl.).

waaHad: one, a person, an individual.

ma9u ma9u: little by little, slowly.

122 Spoken Lebanese

daar: living room.

'uuDa: room, 'uwad (pl.). 'udit li'9uud:family room.

nawm: sleeping, 'uwad-nnawm: bed rooms.

Himmeem: bathroom, Himmemeet (pl.).

'udit-ssufra: dining room.

maTbax:

Dyuuf:

Saan9a:

kitchen, maTaabix (pl.).

guests, Dayf (sing.).

maid, servant, Sunnee9 (pl.).

mitl rna feeyfe: as you can see. mitl: as, like; feeyfeis the fern. active particple of verbfeef (to see), covered in Chapter VI.

balkoneet: balconies, from French "balcon".

deeyir madaar: all around, surrounding.

fofaaj:

may:

suxni:

9aTuul:

btithannu:

heating system, from French "chauffage".

water.

hot, suxn (masc.).

always, constantly, all the way.

you find happiness, you enjoy. Imperf. ofthanna (to find happiness, to enjoy), seegrammar notes.

'9adi:

DIALOGUE II

*william:

naTuur:

*william:naTuur:

*william:naTuur:

*william:naTuur:

*william:naTuur:*william:naTuur:

*william:

Chapter Eleven: Housing & living Conditions 123

sit down, have a seat. Imp. of 'a9ad (to sit,to stay), see grammar notes.

marHaba ya m9allim, 9indkun fi'a'mafruufe lal'ajaar?Tab9an, 9inna fi"a Hilwe biteeni Taabi',bitHibb tfuufa?iza ma fi iz9aaj.ma twaaxizna, I'asansrer mif meefi, Ii'annulkahraba ma'Tuu9a. raH nuTla9 9addaraj.ma bihimm.hayda mifteeH beeb-lmadxal, tfaDDal fuut.hayda-ssalon, fi Sofa kbiiri wfotrey. haydi'uDit-ssufra, fiya Taawle wsit karaasi.hawne 'uwaD-nnawm, kil 'uuDa fiyataxtayn wxzeneet bilHayT.kam Himmeem fi?fi Himmeemayn,waaHad bayn 'uwaDnnawm witteeni Hadd-lmaTbax . haydalmaTbax, fi birraad wfurn 9a-lGaaz, wfikameen Gisseele wniffeefe. bihayda-jjaruurfi dazziinit fuwak, wmlee9i', wskekiin.9arraff, fi nuS dazziinit kibbeyeet, wSHuun,wfnejiin 'ahwe.miin byidfa9-lkahraba, wlmay, wSSiyaani?hawdi 9almista'jir.'iddayf ajaara haffi"a?Saahib-lmilk Taalib arba9 miyyit dolaarbiffahr, fiik tiHki ma9u.Tayyib, mamnuunak.


The Lebanese civil war took its toll on the econom)', and

124 Spoken Lebanese

the Lebanese pound (lira) which remained stable for a longtime, finally collapsed. People trusted the u.s. $ morethan any other currency to a point that all business transactions were negotiated in Dollars.

The Lebanese government has recently taken somesteps to strengthen the Lebanese pound and ordered thatall prices be posted in the national currency. The intereston deposits made in Lebanese pounds has also increased.

m9allim:

naTuur:

mafruufe:

ajaar:

Tab9an:

lit. means teacher, skilled worker. It isalso used to address a person whosename you do not know.

janitor, concierge, nwaTiir (pl.).

furnished.

rent.

of course.

iza mumkin: if possible.

mif meefi:

kahraba:

ma'Tuu9a:

nuTla9:

daraj:

not working, not functioning.

electricity.

cut off, out of work.

we go up, we ascend. Imperf. of Tuli9 (togo up, to ascend), conjugated like wuSilin Chapter III.

stairs, staircase.

rna bihimm: it does not matter, it is not important.

Chapter Eleven" Housing & living CondItions 125

mifteeH: key, mfetiiH (pl.).

madxal: entrance, madeexil (pl.).

salon: living room. From French "salon".

sofa: sofa, couch.

fotrey: couch. From French "fauteuil".

Taawle: table, Tawleet (pl.).

karaasi: chairs, kirsi (sing.).

taxtayn: two beds, dual of taxt.

xzeneet: closets, xzeene (sing.).

HayT: wall, HiTaan (pl.).

bayn: between.

birraad: refrigerator.

furn: stove, oven.

9a-IGaaz: gas powered.

Gisseele: washer.

niffeefe: dryer, not to confuse with sefwaar: hairdryer.

dazzini: a dozen.

fuwak: forks, fawke (sing.).

126 Spoken Lebanese

mlee9i':

skekiin:

raff:

kibbeyeet:

fnejiin:

byidfa9:

Siyaane:

mista'jir:

SaaHib:

tittifi' :

spoons, mal9'a (sing.).

knives, sikkiin (sing.).

shelf, rfuuf (pl.).

glasses, kibbeeye (sing.).

cups, finjeen (sing.).

he pays. Imperf. of dafa9 (to pay), conjugated like ba9at in Chapter IV.

maintenance.

tenant, mista'jriin (pl.).

owner, friend. SaaHib-lmilk: proprietor,owner. aSHaab (pl.).

you reach an agreement. Imperf. of ttafa'(to agree with, to get along, to reach anunderstanding), see grammar notes.

mamnuunak: thank you, I am grateful to you.

GRAMMAR NOTES

Some nouns ending with a vowel like 'uuDa, dazzini,etc... may change forms when they modify another noun.e.g. 'uuDit-nnawm (bed room); dazzinit fuwak (a dozenof forks).

In general the sound masc. pI. ending is iin, and thesound fern. pI. ending is eet/aat.

e.g. m9allim/m9allmiin; risseem/rissemiin,


mhandis / mhandsiin.bint/baneet; 9amme/9ammeet; mmarDa/mmarDeet.

• mara' (to pass by, to go by) is a sound Measure Iverb.


huwwe mara' yimru'hiyyi mara'it timru'hinni mara'u yimr'u

inta mara't timru' mru'inti mara'ti timr'i mri'iintu mara'tu timr'u mri'u

ana mara't imru'niHna mara'na nimru'

• beerak (to congratulate, to bless) is a Measure IIIverb.


huwwe beerak ybeerikhiyyi beerakit tbeerikhinni beeraku ybeerku

inta beerakt tbeerik beerikinti beerakti tbeerki beerkiintu beeraktu tbeerku beerku

ana beerakt beerikniHna beerakna nbeerik

128 Spoken Lebanese

• farja (to show) is a quadriliteral defective verb.


huwwe farja yfarjihiyyi farjit tfarjihinni farju yfarju

inta farjayt tfarji farjiinti farjayti tfarji farjiintu farjaytu tfarju farju

ana farjayt farjiniHna farjayna nfarji

• thanna (to enjoy, to find happiness) is a Measure Vdefective verb.


huwwe thanna yithannahiyyi thannit tithannahinni thannu yithannu

inta thannayt tithanna thannainti thannayti tithanni thanniintu thannaytu tithannu thannu

ana thannayt ithannaniHna thannayna nithanna

• 'a9ad (to sit down, to stay) is a sound Measure I verb.The / ' / replaces the / Q /.

Chapter Eleven' Housing & living Conditions 129


huwwe 'a9ad yi'9udhiyyi 'a9adit ti'9udhinni 'a9adu yi'9du

inta 'a9adt ti'9udinti 'a9adti ti'9diintu 'a9adtu ti'9du

ana 'a9adt i'9udnihna 'a9adna ni'9ud

Imperative

'9ud'9adi'9adu

• ttafa' (to agree with, to come to terms) is a MeasureVIII assimilitad verb.


huwwe ttafa' yittifi'hiyyi ttafa'it tittifi'hinni ttafa'u yittif'u

inta ttafa't tittifi'inti ttafa'ti tittif'iintu ttafa'tu tittif'u

ana ttafa't ittifi'niHna ttafa'na nittifi'


The house

bell jaras

Imperative

ttifi'ttif'ittif'u

130 Spoken Lebanese

ceiling sa'fconcrete baTondarkness 9atm, Zalaamentrance madxalfloor arDgarden jnayneinside juwwalight (noun) Daw, nuurlight (verb) Dawwa, walla9, fa99aloutside barraroof saTHstone Hajarwindow fibbeekwood xafab

Appliances

dishwasher jilleeyefreezer tilleejemicrowave mikro'ondrefrigerator birraadtelevision televizyon

Bedding

blanket Hreemcomforter IHeefmattress farfepillow mxaddesheet farfaf

The bathroom

bathtub maGTasbidet bide

faucettoilettoilet papertoilet tanktowelsink


Hanafiyyetwaleetwara' twaleetsifonmanJafemaGsale

Cleaning tools

broombrushbucketmopshovelsponge

REINFORCEMENT

miknsefirJeeyedalumamsHamajruudsfinje

• Describe your house.

• Would you like to live in a house or in anapartment? Why?

• In which room do you spend most of your timewhen you are home? Why?

• Based on the dialogue, compare rent in yourcountry to rent in Lebanon.

• You would like to rent an apartment, gather asmuch information as possible about it beforeyou sign the contract.

Chapter Twelve

Hobbies & Leisure Activities

Chapter Twelve: Hobbles & Leisure Activities 133

In this chapter you will learn useful expressions related to hobbies and leisureactivities. You will also learn about favorite sports, cultural activities, and night lifein Lebanon.

The verbs conjugated in this chapter are:t9aJfa, t'axxar.

DIALOGUE

*Hamiid:*fawzi:

*Hamiid:

*fawzi:

*Hamiid:

*fawzi:

*Hamiid:

*fawzi:

Iu 9aamil hal wiikend ya *fawzi?iza-TTa's mniiH, 9am nfakkir nuTla99al*'arz na9mil ski. w'intu?fi matI futbol bayn farii'-*nnijmewil*homenmen, bilmal9ab-lbaladi,ma9'uul nruuH nuHDaru.Tayyib Iu ra'yak nruuH ba9deen nit9aIIasawa, wnuHDar Ii masraHiyye aw Ii film?min kill bid. ilna zameen ma HDurnamasraHiyyeet. 9ala fikra, bi'uulu fiisti9raaD Helu lafir'it-lbalee-*rruusibilkazino, bitHibb nruuH nuHDaru?marti bitHibb rra'S wilbalee, xalliini IuufIu ra'ya, wbiHkiik-llayle.bas ma tit'axxar ktiir, li'annu leezim talfinw'iHjuz, labl ma yruuHu-lmTaariH.wala yhimmak, bridd 9layk xabar bi'asra9wa't.


Lebanese are by nature good-living fun-lovingpeople. They love outdoor activities, especially outdoor

134 Spoken Lebanese

restaurants and terraces. The mountains of Lebanon offerbeautiful views of the Mediterranean.

Favorite sports in Lebanon are soccer, basketball, tennis, and volleybalL Lebanon is also a skiers, and swimmers' paradise. It is probably the only country in the worldwhere in early Spring , you could water ski and within 20to 30 minutes be on the ski slopes.

Iu 9aamil: what are your plans. 9aamil is the activeparticiple of (9imil) to do, conjugated inChapter IV.

nfakkir: we think. Imperf. of fakkar (to think),conjugated like 9arraf in Chapter II.

nuTla9: we go up. Imperfect of Tuli9 (to go up, toascend, to exit), conjugated in Chapter VI.

arz: cedars. In this context, it refers to theCedar's area located in the mountains ofNorth Lebanon, famous for its ancientcedar's forest and ski slopes.

matI: game, match.

futbol: soccer, balL American Football is notpracticed in the Middle-East.

farii' : team, fira' (pl.).

*nijme: lit. star. The name of a Lebanese soccerteam.

*homenmen: The name of a Lebnaese soccer team. Mostof its players are from the ArmenianLebanese community.

Chapter Twelve: Hobbies & Leisure ActIvities 135

mal9ab: playground, field, stadium, malee9ib (pl.).

baladi: municipal.

ma9'uul: it is possible, conceivable, may be.

nuHDaru: we watch it. Imperf. of HuDir (to watch,to attend, to see), conjugated like Tuli9 inChapter VI.

nit9affa: we have dinner. Imperf. of t9affa (to dine).See grammar notes.

sawa: together.

masraHiyye: theater play, masraHiyyeet (pl.).

film: movie, film, fluume (pl.).

min kil bid: by all means, definitely.

ilna zameen: it has been a while for us. ilna is formedby the preposition (ila) and the pronomi-nal suffix (na). zameen: time.

9ala fikra: come to think about it, by the way.

fikra: thought, afkaar (pl.).

isti9raaD: a show, performance, isti9raDaat (pl.).

fir'a: group, ensemble, orchestra.

balee: ballet.

*ruusi: Russian.

136 Spoken Lebanese

kazino:

ra'S:

llayle:

tit'axxar:

iHjuz:

mTaariH:

Casino du Liban. See Chapter VI.

dance.

tonight.

you are late. Imperf. of t'axxar (to betardy, to be late). See grammar notes.

I reserve. Imperf. Hajaz (to reserve, tobook, to hold), conjugated like fakar inChapter II.

places, seats, maTraH (sing.).

wala yhimmak: don't you worry.

bridd xabar: lit. I will return a message. I will let youknow, I will answer back. bridd is theImperf. of radd (to return something),conjugated like Habb in Chapter II.

bi'asra9 wa't: lit. in the fastest time. As soon aspossible.

DIALOGUE II

*norma:*riima:

*norma:

*riima:

fifti birneemij studio-Ifann mbeeriH?la', riHna 9a'oteel *karlton, keen fi ma9raDrasm wnaHt laTullaab killiyit-Ifunuun,wrji9na m'axriin. layf, keen fi Ii Helu?ija fabb Sawtu mitl Sawt *wadii9-SSafi,Ganna wda' 9al9uud, kil-nnaas za"afitlu.bisma9 innu halbirneemij maJhuur ktiir, basniHna bilbayt ma mnitfarraj deeyman9attelevizyon. ana bHibb-lmuTaala9a,wjawzi biHibb-rrasm.

*norma:

*riima:

Chapter Twelve: Hobbies & Leisure Activities 137

kil waaHad 9indu hiwaaye bhalHayeet.ana bHibb-Imusii'a wil'aGaani-JJa9biyye,wjawzi ma bihimmu illa-SSayd wli9blwara' ma9 aSHaabu.ahamm Ji, yi'dir-IwaaHad yGayyir jawmin wa't lawa't. law kil-lHayeet JuGlbIuGl, keenu kil-nnees bimuutu min-IHaSr.


Arts are highly appreciated in Lebanon. Art galleries,music recitals, poetry readings, and theatrical performancesare very popular. There are several associations actively involved in encouraging and promoting Lebanese artifacts.

studio-Ifann: Art Studio, a famous television show thatencourages talented musicians, singers,and comedians. It offers them a chance tobecome stars.

oteel:

ma9raD:

rasm:

naHt:

hotel.

exhibition, ma9aariD (pl.).

painting.

sculpture.

killiyit-lfunuun: College of Fine Arts.

m'axxriin:

Jabb:

Sawt:

mitl:

we were late.

young man, Jabeeb (pl.).

voice, aSwaat (pl.).

similar, like.

138 Spoken Lebanese

*wadii9- famous Lebanese singer. He playedSSaafi: a major role in national folkloric festivals.

Ganna: to sing, conjugated like 9alla in Chapter IV.

da": to play (an instrument), to knock on something, conjugated like Habb in Chapter II.

9uud: oriental string instrument similar to themandolin, stick.

za"af: to clap hands, to applaud, conjugated like9arraf in Chapter II.

maJhuur: famous, very well known.

mnitfarraj: we look, we watch. Imperf. of tfarraj (towatch a program), conjugated like tfaDDalin Chapter II.

deeyman: always, all the time.

muTaala9a: reading for enjoyment.

kil waaHad: everyone, each one.

hiwaaye: hobby.

Hayeet: life.

musii'a: music.

aGaani: songs, Ginniyyi (sing.).

fa9biyyi: popUlar, folkloric.

ilIa: except.

Sayd:

li9b:

wara':

ahamm Ji:

yGayyir:

jaww:

Chapter Twelve: Hobbles & Leisure ActIvities 139

hunting, Sayd samak: fishing.

playing, game.

cards, papers, war'a (sing.).

the most important thing.

he changes. Imperf. of Gayyar (to change),conjugated like 9arraf in Chapter II.

ambiance, atmosphere, climate.

min wa't lawa't: from time to time.

bimuutu:

HaSr:

they die. Imperf. of meet (to die). SeeChapter IX.

stress, depression.

GRAMMAR NOTES

• t9aJJa (to dine) is a Measure V defective verb.


huwwe t9aJfa yit9affahiyyi t9aJJit tit9aJJahinni t9aJJu yit9aJJu

inta t9aJfayt tit9affainti t9aJJayti tit9aJJiintu t9aJfaytu tit9affu

ana t9aJJayt it9aJfaniHna t9affayna nit9affa

Imperative

t9afJat9aJJit9afJu

140 Spoken Lebanese

• t'axxar (to be late) is a Measure V verb.


huwwe t'axxar yit'axxarhiyyi t'axxarit tit'axxarhinni t'axxaru yit'axxaru

inta t'axxart tit'axxar t'axxarinti t'axxarti tit'axxari t'axxariintu t'axxartu tit'axxaru t'axxaru

ana t'axxart it'axxarniHna t'axxarna nit'axxar


Sports (riyaaDa)

basketballboxinggamegolfjudokarateping pongskiingsoccerswimmingtennisvolleyballwater skiwrestlingto winto looseto be even

basketbol, kurat-ssallamuleekame, boksmati, mubaraatgolfjudokaratepinpon, kurat-TTaawleskifutbol, kurat-IQadamsbeeHatenis, kurat-lmaDribvolibol, kurat- TTaa'iraskinotiik, tazalluj 9almaymuSaara9aribiHxisirtgeedal

Chapter Twelve: Hobbies & Leisure Activities 141

Hobbies (hiwayeet) & Leisure Activities (tasliye)

actingbike ridingcorrespondencedancingdrawingfishinghorsebackridingsingingstamps collectingtravelling

timsiilrikb-Ibisikleetmureesalera'StuSwiir, rasmSayd-ssamakrikb-IxaylGinajam9 Tawaabi9safar

Musical Instruments

accordeonfluteguitareorganpianoviolin

REINFORCEMENT

akkordeyonnaaygitaarorgpyanovyolon, kamanja

• What are the most popular sports in your country?

• What is in YOllr opinion the best exercice to stay inshape?

• What is your favorite pass-time? Why?

• Would you prefer to watch a movie or a theater play?

• Do you play any musical instrument? How often?

• Who is favorite singer? Why?

Chapter Thirteen: Mishaps & Offenses 143

In this chapter (which is coincidentlyChapter 13), you will learn useful vocabulary needed in times of emergencies,offenses, or unforeseen circumstances.

The verbs conjugated in this chapter are:xaaf, 9ili', and some incomplete verbs.

DIALOGUE

*maryo:

*Gassaan:

*maryo:

*Gassan:

*maryo:*Gassaan:

*maryo:

fiik t'illi ya *Gassaan Iu hiyyi ba9DlHaweedis-lmumkin tSiir ma9-l'inseenb*libneen?Tab9an. mitl kil balad, fi b*libneenHaweedis siyyaraat, wHaraayi',wjaraayim. laakin ijmeelan, lHaale-I'amniyye mniiHa, w'aHsan min Gayrbildeen.Iu leezim ya9mil-lwaaHad iza Saar ma9uHaadis siyyaara?iza fi jirHa, awwal Ii leezim tuTlubl'is9aaf, Hatta yeexdu-ljirHa 9almistaIfa.teeni Ii, leezim tuTlub xabiir Hatta yijiyikIuf 9alHaadis wya9mil ti'riir.miI leezim nuTlub-lboliis?mbala, lakin 9adatan, lboliis rna biTawwiltayuHDar lamma bikuun fi Haadismhimmmamnuunak, haydi ma91uumeet ktiirmhimmi. *alla yib9ud-lHaweedis.


As we saw in Chapter IX, accidents are frequent in

144 Spoken Lebanese

Lebanon due to the overwhelming number of cars in thestreets. When an accident occurs, it is important to calIona certified sworn expert (xabiir) to come to the scene andwrite a report on the accident. This report will be used byinsurance companies and law enforcement officials to establish responsibilities. Every insurance company will provide you with a list of sworn experts.

ba9D:

inseen:

Tab9an:

balad:

Haraayi':

jaraayim:

laakin:

ijmeelan:

Heele:

amniyye:

aHsan:

jirHa:

xabiir:

yikJuf:

some.

human being, person.

of course, sure.

country, bildeen (pl.).

fires, Harii'a (sing.).

crimes, jariime (sing.).

but, however.

in general.

situation, condition.

safety, security.

better.

injured ones, wounded ones, jariiH (sing.).

certified sworn expert, specialized in caraccidents, xubara (pl.).

he inspects, he looks at. Imperf. of kaJaf9ala (to inspect, to examine), conjugatedlike Jakar in Chapter II.

Chapter ThIrteen: Mishaps & Offenses 145

ti'riir: report, file, ta'ariir (pl.).

boliis: police. Usually, the internal securityforces called "darak" are called upon incase of accidents or crimes.

biTawwil: is late, takes time. Imperf. of Tawwal (tobe late), conjugated like 9arraf in Chapter II.

ma9lumeet: information.

yib9ud: he becomes distant. Imperf. of bi9id (to gofar, to become distant), conjugated likelibis in Chapter VIII.

*alla yib9ud-IHaweedis: may God prevent the occuranceof accidents.

DIALOGUE II

*yolanda:

*jumana:

*yolanda:

*jumana:

*yolanda:*jumana:

*yolanda:

daxlik ya *jumana, layf fi 9aalam ktiirHadd halbineeye, bi'awwal-ffeeri9 ?byiZhar innu fi Harii'a biTTaabi'-tteeni.feeyfi-ddaxne kiif 9am tuTla9 minSawb-Ibalkon?ee, ma9ik Ha'. layki, layki, fi waaHad 9ambijarrib ynuTT min-ffibbeek, bas hay'tuxeeyif li'annu-Imaseefe geelye.ana rnaTraHu, rna bxaaTir hayk. yaHHiyyiwuSlit-I'iTfa'iyyi.fu raH ya9rnlu 'awltik?bi9ti'id raH yjarrbu yHuTTu sillurn,wyxallSu-nnees halli 9il'aani juwwa,wba9deen biTaffu-IHarii'a.fu halwaZiife-IxuTra, nfalla rna HadayxuSSu Ii.

146 Spoken Lebanese


Fire hydrants are rare in Lebanon. In case of a fire,people and neighbors come very quickly to the rescue untilthe fire trucks arrive. Since all buildings and houses aremade out of stones or concrete, it is easy to control a firein its early stage, unless it is caused by a major explosion.

9aalam:

awwal:

byiZhar:

feeyfe:

daxne:

tuTla9:

layki:

bijarrib:

ynuTT:

people, crowd, world.

followed by a definite noun means:beginning; followed by an indefinitenoun means: first.e.g. awwal-ffeeri9: beginning of the street.

awwal feeri9: first street.

it seems, it looks. Imperf. of Zahar (toappear, to seem, to appear miraculously),conjugated like ba9at in Chapter IV.

active participle fem. of feef (to see),conjugated like keen in Chapter III.

smoke.

it comes out. Imperf. of Tuli9 (to come up,to ascend). See Chapter VI.

look, Imp. fem., layk (masc.). It is not aconjugated verb.

he tries. Imperf. of jarrab (to try, to attempt, to test), conjugated like 9arraf inChapter II.

he jumps. Imperf. of naTT (to jump),conjugated like HaTT in Chapter IV.


hay'tu: he seems. Expression made of hay'a(appearance) and a prone suffix.

xeeyif: afraid. Active participle of verb xaaf (to beafraid, to fear). See grammar notes.

maseefe: distance, masefeet (pl.).

geelye: high, elevated, geele (masc.).

ana maTraHu: if I were him, if I were in his place.maTraH: place, mTaariH (pl.).

bxaaTir: I risk, I take a chance. Imperf. of xaaTar (torisk, to endanger), conjugated like SaaraTin Chapter V.

hayk: like this, this way.

yaHHiyyi: here it is, here she is. Invariable expressionused with limited pronominal suffixes.yaHHuwwi: here he isyaHHinni: here they are (masc. or feme pI.)

iTfa'iyyi: fire fighters, fire trucks.

'awltik: in your opinion (fem. sing.).

sillum: ladder, sleelim (pl.).

yxallSu: they save. Imperf. of xallaS (to save, tofinish), conjugated like 9arraf in Chapter II.

9il'aani: trapped, stuck. Adjective derived from verb9ili' (to get caught, to be trapped). Seegrammar notes.

148 Spoken Lebanese

biTaffu:

rna Hada:

yxuSSu:

they extinguish. Irnperf. of Taffa (to putout, to extinguish), conjugated like 9allain Chapter IV.

no one.

lit. belongs to him. In this context ma HadayxuSSu Ii: I hope to God no one gets hurt.

Imperf. of verb xaSS (to belong, to pertain),conjugated like HaTT in Chapter IV.

GRAMMAR NOTES

Several expressions like ba9d, daxl, hay'a, ka'an, layk,leezim, yaHHu, etc...behave as incomplete verbs when connected to some pronominal suffixes. Some of them conveythe imperative meaning; others the demonstrative, or theinterpellation.

Although we have covered some of these expressionsin previous chapters, it is useful to compare their meaningand their conjugational patterns.

Pronouns ba9d daxl hayla kalan(he is still) (say) (to seem) (as if to be)

huwwe ba9du hay'tu ka'annuhiyye ba9da hay'ita ka'annahinni ba9dun hay'itun ka'innun

inta ba9dak daxlak hay'tak ka'annakinti ba9dik daxlik hay'tik ka'annikintu ba9dkun daxlkun hay'itkun ka'ankun

ana ba9dni hay'ti ka'anniniHna ba9dna hay'itna ka'anna

Chapter Thirteen' Mishaps & Offenses 149

Pronouns layk leezim yaHHu(watch, see) (to need, (here it/he is)

to be a must)

huwwe leezmu yaHHuhiyye lezima yaHHihinni lezimun yaHHinni

inta layk leezmakinti layki leezmikintu layku lezimkun

ana lezimniniHna lezimna

For a review of the different meanings of daxl, seeChapter v.

• xaaf (to fear, to be afraid) is a hollow Measure I verb.


huwwe xaaf yxaafhiyyi xaafit txaafhinni xaafu yxaafu

inta xift txaaf xaafinti xifti txaafi xaafiintu xiftu txaafu xaafu

ana xift xaafniHna xifna nxaaf

• 9ili' (to get caught, to be stuck) is a soundMeasure I verb.

150 Spoken Lebanese


huwwe 9ili' yi9la'hiyyi 9il'it ti9la'hinni 9il'u yi9la'u

inta 9li't ti9la'inti 9li'ti ti9la'iintu 9li'tu ti9la'u

ana 9li't i9la'niHna 9li'na ni9la'


Imperative

9laa'9la'i9la'u

Crimes and misdemeanors (jaraayim, muxelafeet)

beatingfightkidnappinglyingmurderrapetheftthreatvandalism

Darbmafkal, 9arkexaTfkizbI atl, jariimeiGtiSaabsir'atihdiidtixriib

Criminals (mujrimiin)

crookcriminalgangthief

az9armujrim9iSaabesirree', Haraami


Justice (9adl)

courtjudgelawyerwitness

maHkame'aaDimuHaamiJeehid

Accidents (Haweedis)

damagedrowningearthquakefloodwar

REINFORCEMENTS

xaraabGara'hazze, zilzeelfayaDaanHarb

• What do you do if you have a car accident inLebanon?

• Describe a car accident you had or witnessed.

• Who will respond to your call if you have a fireat home? What will they do?

• What are some of the crimes in your area?

• Describe a mishap that happened to you.

Chapter Fourteen

Nature & Climate

Chapter Fourteen: Nature &Climate 153

In this chapter you will learn usefulvocabulary related to nature, climate,and weather conditions. You will becomefamiliar with the different ways Lebanesespend their vacations.

The verbs conjugated in this chapter are:zaar, I arrar.

DIALOGUE I

*biII:

*Iarnya:

*biII:

*Iamya:

*biII:

*Iamya:

*biII:

*Iamya:

Iu raH ta9mli bifurSit 9iid-I*mileed ya*Iamya?iIi sintayn rna Jift ahli, 9am fakkir seefir9a*bayruut maDDi-ifurSa ma9un.niyyeelik, fiiki titsabbaHi wtJimmi-ihawakil-Iwa't.ma bi9ti'id raH i'dir itsabbaH ya *biII,Ii'annu-TTa's mis'i9 biIJiti bi*bayruut,wbtitluj biljabal.SaHiiH? ana kint mfakkar innu maneex*Iibneen SaHraawi, wma btitluj abadanbilmanTa'a 9indkun.ma9-I'asaf, fi ktiir 9aalam eexde fikraGaiaT 9an *Iibneen. Imaneex ktiir Helu.9inna arba9 fSuuI, wkil faSI aRIa mintteeni.ana bisma9 innu balad raa'i9, wfi asaraatI adiime, bas ma kint mfakkar innumaneexu Helu kameen. nJalla bi'awwalfurSa bi'dir ruuH zuuru.ana akiide innak raH tunbusiT ktiir,xSuuSan iza bta9rif Hada huniik.

154 Spoken Lebanese


Lebanon enjoys four distinct seasons. Each seasonhas its beauty. Winter covers the mountains with snow.Spring brings back the aromas and perfumes of wild herbsand trees. Summer offers the swimmers and water skiersmiles of blue Mediterranean water; the mountains are fullwith tourists and summer residents. Fall is a very picturesque and colorful natural painting.

furSa:

9iid:

mileed:

vacation, break, holiday, opportunity,furaS (pl.).

feast, celebration, a9yeed (pl.).

birthday.

9iid-l*mileed: Christmas, celebrated on December 25.

In Lebanon there are several national and religiousholidays such as:

9iid-I*'aDHa:

9iid-l*fiTr:

ljim9a-19aZiime:9iid-lkbiir:9iid-1'isti'leel:

9iid-ffuhada:

the feast of immolation, celebratedon the 10th day of zu-IHijja of theIslamic calendar.the feast ending the Ramadan fast,celebrated the first of fawwal ofthe Islamic calendar.Good FridayEasterIndependence Day, celebrated onthe 22nd of November.remembrance of the martyrs ofWorld War I, celebrated on the 6thof May.

Chapter Fourteen: Nature & Climate 155

iIi: it has been, it is mine. Prepositional phrase madeof the preposition "ila" and pronominal suffixes,e.g. iIi, ilak, ilik, ilna, etc... .If it denotes time (ithas been) it is usually followed by the Perfecttense of the verb.

sintayn: two years, dual of sini.

ahli my parents, my relatives.

seefir: I travel. Imperf. of seefar (to travel). SeeChapter VIII.

niyyeelik: lucky you, good for you. Idiomatic expression made of niyyeel and pronominalsuffixes. e.g. niyyeelu, niyyeelak, etc....

titsabbaHi: you swim. Imperf. of tsabbaH (to swim),conjugated like tfaDDal in Chapter II.

tfimmi-Ihawa: you have a good time, you travel forenjoyment. Idiomatic expression madeof famm (to smell, to breathe) conjugatedlike Habb in Chapter II, and the wordhawa: air, wind.

miS'i9:

faSI:

jabal:

SaHiiH:

mfakkar:

cold, also beerid.

season, chapter, fSuul (pl.).

mountain, jbeel (pl.).

true, correct, right.

thinking. Active particple of fakkar (tothink), like 9arraf in Chapter II.

156 Spoken Lebanese

maneex: climate.

SaHraawi: desert like. Adj. related to SaHra: desert.

manTa'a: region, area.

eexde: taking, having. Active participle of axad,conjugated in Chapter V.

GalaT: wrong, false, incorrect.

aHla: better.

raa'i9: superb, marvelous.

asaraat: historical sites.

'adiime: ancient, old.

zuuru: I visit it. Imperf. of zaar (to visit). Seegrammar notes.

akiide: sure, certain, akiid (masc.).

xSuuSan: especially.

Hada: someone.

DIALOGUE II

*maha:

*sarnar:

byiZhar innu raH ykuun fi fawb wrTuubektiir haSSayf, raH tDallu bi*Traablus awraH tuTla9u 9a-Ijabal?Sadd'iini ba9d rna 'arrarna Iu baddnana9mil. wleedna biHibbu yuTla9u 9aDDay9a,bas ana bi9tal hamm tuHDiir-IGraaD.

*maha:*samar:

*maha:*samar:

*maha:*samar:

*maha:

*samar:


kiif-TTa's biDDay9a?ktiir mniiH wSuHHi. aw'eet biSiir fiGTayTa SSubH, bas ba9deen btuTla9IIams, wfi bruud min 9aIiyye.rna byuDjaru luwleed kil-SSayf?bil9aks, biDal1 fi Hafleet wsahraatbineedi-DDay9a, wibyil9abu kill-nnhaarma9 wleed-Ijiraan, w'aSHaabun,w'arayibun.la'ayya Iahr bitDallu bi-Ijabal?9aadatan Hatta eexir Iahr ayluul. lammayitGayyar-TTa's, wtsa"i9-ddini, rnabit9uud-SSayfiyye Hilwe.nIalla btunbusTu, wtkuun SayfiyyemniiHa.fukran ya *maha, tfaDDalu farrfuuna.


Many Lebanese families have two homes, a winterhome in a big coastal city (Beirut,Tripoli, Sidon, etc...), anda summer home in their hometown or a summer resort inthe mountains. Few families are originally from Beirut.People enjoy spending the summer in their hometownwhere they can find their roots and be with their relatives.

fawb:

rTuube:

*Traablus:

Sadd'iini:

hot weather.

humidity.

Tripoli, second largest city and port inLebanon, located about 70 miles north ofBeirut.

believe me. Imp. of Sadda' (to believe),conjugated like 9arraf in Chapter II.

158 Spoken Lebanese

'arrarna:

Day9a:

we decided. Perf. of 'arrar (to decide), seegrammar notes.

village, hometown, Diya9 (pl.).

bi9tal hamm: I worry, I feel distressed. Imperf. of 9itilhamm (to worry, to feel distressed). It isan idiomatic expression made of verb9itil, conjugated like Jirib in Chapter II,and the word hamm: worry.

tuHDiir:

GraaD:

SuHHi:

'aw'eet:

GTayTa:

SubH:

Jams:

bruud:

9aJiyye:

yuDjaru:

preparation. Verbal noun of verb HaDDar(to prepare), conjugated like 9arraf inChapter II.

objects, things, items, odds and ends,GaraD (sing.).

healthy.

sometimes.

fog, mist.

morning.

sun.

cool breeze.

evening

they get bored. Imperf. of Dujir (to bebored, to be restless), conjugated likeTuli9 in Chapter VI.


bil9aks: on the contrary, the opposite.

Hafleet: parties, festivities, Hafle (sing.).

sahraat: evening parties, evening performances,sahra (sing.).

needi: club, association, naweedi (pl.).

yil9abu: they play. Imperf. of li9ib ( to play, toperform), conjugated like Jirib inChapter II.

jiraan: neighbors, jaar (sing.).

'raayibun: their relatives.

yitGayyar: it changes. Imperf. of tGayyar (toundergo changes, to be modified),conjugated like t'axxar in Chapter XII.

tsa"i9: it becomes cold. Imperf. of sa"a9 (tobecome cold), conjugated like 9arrafin Chapter II.

dini: nature, earth, world.

ma bit9uud: will no longer be. Expression made of thenegative particle ma and the Imperf. ofverb 9aad (to return, to come back),conjugated like keen in Chapter II.

Jarrfuuna: honor us with your visit, come on over.Imp. of Jarraf (to honor ), conjugated like9arraf in Chapter II.

160 Spoken Lebanese

GRAMMAR NOTES

• zaar (to visit) is a Measure I Hollow verb.


huwwe zaar yzuurhiyyi zaarit tzuurhinni zaaru yzuuru

inta zurt tzuur zuurinti zurti tzuuri zuuriintu zurtu tzuuru zuuru

ana zurt zuurniHna zurna nzuur

• Jarrar (to decide) is a Measure II verb.


huwwe 'arrar y'arrirhiyyi 'arrarit t'arrirhinni 'arraru y'arriru

inta 'arrart t'arrir 'arririnti 'arrarti t'arriri 'arririintu 'arrartu t'arriru 'arriru

ana 'arrart 'arrirniHna 'arrarna n'arrir


Elements (maweed)

firesoil, earthwaterwind

naartraab, arDmayhawa

Chapter Fourteen' Nature & Climate 161

Nature (Tabii9a)

beachcreekflowergrasslakemudplainriversandseaskytreevalleywaves

Weather

cloudcoldfrosthailhot, warmlightningstormthunder

faT, plaajsee'yezahra, zhuur (pl.).HafiifbuHayrawaHlsahlnahr, anhur (pl.).ramIbaHrsama, jawsajra, sajar (pl.).waadi, widyeen (pl.).mawj

Gaymbardjliidbaradfawbbar'9aaSfera9d

Adjectives describing the sea

calm reeyi', heede

162 Spoken Lebanese

cleandangerousdirtypollutedwavy

REINFORCEMENT

nDiifxuTirwusix, mwassaxmlawwasheeyij

• Describe the weather today.

• Describe the climate where you live.

• What is your favorite season? Why?

• Where would you like to spend your summervacation? Why?

• Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?Why?

Chapter Fifteen

Courtesy Expressions & Interjections

164 Spoken Lebanese

In this chapter you will learn about appropriate expressions and interjectionsfor a variety of occasions.

HAPPY OCCASIONS (afraaH)

Engagement (xuTbe)

• mabruuk• xuTbe mbaarake

congratulationsmay your engagement be blessed

Wedding (zaweej, 9urs)

• mabruuk ya 9ariis congratulations groom• mabruuk ya 9aruus congratulations bride• nJalla btithannu wishing you happiness• kil iyyeemkun afraaH may all your days be happy• 9a'beelak, 9a'beelik.... may your turn come

Birth (wileede)

• mabruuk-TTufl• *alla y9ayyJu• nJalla byislam

congratulations on the babymay God give him a long lifemay God keep him safe

Baptism, Christening (9meede)

• 9meede mbaarke may this baptism beblessed

• nfalla bit9ammdu-I'ixwe may you baptize thesiblings

Chapter Fifteen: Courtesy Expressions & Interjections 165

Return from pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)

• Hajj mabruur wsa9y mafkuurmay your pilgrimage be blessed andyour ritual walk be praiseworthy

Success in business, career, or exam (najeeH)

• mabruuk• tahaniina• *alla ywaffi'

Holidays (a9yeed)

congratulationsour best wishesmay God grant you success

• kil 9iid w'inta bxayr

• 9iid mbaarak

SAD OCCASIONS (aHzeen)

may every holiday you bein good healthhappy (blessed) holiday

Accidents, tragedies (Haweedis, kaweeris)

• IHamdilla 9assaleeme• *alla ySabbirkun• *alla y'awwikun• mniiH-lmif a9Zam

Sickness (maraD)

• saleemtak• *alla yiffiik

• *alla y'addimlakSSuHHa

thank God for your safetymay God give you patiencemay God give you strengthlucky it was not worse

wishing you feel bettermay God give you speedyrecoverymay God improve yourhealth

166 Spoken Lebanese

Death (mawt)

• *alla yirHamu• 19awaD bisaleemtak

• inna lillaah• ta9aazina

God have mercy on himmay you be compensated by your well-beingwe belong to Godour condolences

OTHER SOCIAL OCCASIONS

(munesabeet ijtimee9iyye)

Going on a trip (safar)

• *alla ykuun ma9ak• nJalla tuSal bissaleeme• safra mwaff'a• truuH ·wtirja9

bissaleeme

may God be with youmay you arrive safelyhave a successful tripmay you go andreturn safely

Return from a trip (rjuu9 min-ssafar)

• IHamdilla 9awSuulak bissaleemethank God for your safe arrival

Moving to a new home (na'liyye)

• na'liyye mbaarke hope the move is a blessed one• mabruuk-Ibayt congratulations on the house

Coming out of the shower (duuf) or thebarbershop (Hillee')

• na9iiman

At the table (9al'akl)

• Sahtayn

hope you enjoyed it

enjoy your food, bon appetit

• keesak• sufra deeyme

Chapter Fifteen' Courtesy Expressions & Interjections 167

cheers, to your healthmay your table be alwaysbountiful (at the end of the meal)

If someone sneezes (9aTas)

• SuRRa• naJu

healthelation

If someone is wearing new clothes,or acquiring something new.

• mabruuk (lfustaan, ljizdeen, etc...) congratulations

INTERJECTIONS

aRaaxbasnya9'ooftfehTuzyallayaayxay9ayb

BODY LANGUAGE

reacting to something cold or hotexpressing painenoughexpressing disgustsigh of boredom or annoyancedisgust or anger (similar to spitting)big deal, see if I carecome on, move it, hurry upexcitement, admirationsigh of relief, or smelling good aromashame, disgrace

Raising eyebrows, head or shoulders is a negativeanswer. This may be accompanied by the sound I tse I ,produced by the tongue rubbing roughly backward onthe upper teeth and the palate.

Nodding head and raising eyebrows is a sign of admiration. This may be accompanied by the sound IbiJI .

168 Spoken Lebanese

APPENDIX

In this appendix you will find an extended list of thevocabulary related to all the topics presented in this book.This may help those who do not have the time to learn allthe components included in it, and those who only needcertain words to survive on a short trip. It is importanthowever to study the phonetic system in the beginningof the book in order to pronounce the vocabulary correctly. This Appendix can be an excellent addendum toany travel guide book on Lebanon.

Chapter One: Greetings & Formalities

FORMAL GREETINGS

In the morning: SabaaH-lxayrIn the evening: masa-Ixayr

OTHER FORMS OF GREETING

"Good morning""Good evening"

"Peace be upon you""Hi, Hello""pleasant evening"

assalaamu 9alaykummarHabaIn the evening: sa9iideIn a working environment:9aweefe or ya9tiik-19aafye "wishing you health"

If you are addressing someone in particular you mayuse the vocative (ya) before his/her name, e.g. marHabaya *samiir.

In the following exchanges you will become familiarwith some Lebanese names, and you will learn how togreet people and answer their greetings.

*sa9iid:*9aaTif:

*9afaaf:*Hanaan:

*Hasan:*9adnaan:

*xaaled:*hifaam:

*sihaam:*huda:

*9umar:*Haliim:

SabaaH-lxayr ya *9aaTifahlan, SabaaH-nnuur ya *sa9iid

masa-Ixayr ya *Hanaanmasa-nnuur ya *9afaaf

assalamu 9alaykum ya *9adnaanwa9alaykumu-ssalaam ya *Hasan

marHaba ya *hifaammarHabtayn ya *xaaled

9aweefe ya *hudaalIa y9afiiki ya *sihaam

sa9iide ya *Haliimyis9ud ha-Imasa ya *9umar

Appendix 169

Greetings are usually followed by common courtesyquestions, e.g. (kifak) How are you? (kiif-IHaal) How is itgoing? etc.... Middle Easterns always thank (*alla) Godfor their well being.

*samiir:*salwa:*samiir:*salwa:

marhaba ya *salwaahlan *samiir, kiifak?IHamdilla, kiifik inti?nufkur *alla meefe-IHaal

(ahlan) is an expression used to welcome someone, or toanswer someone's greeting. It means literally: you areamong your family.

(kiif) is an interrogative meaning "how". Verb "to be" isimplied in pronouns or pronominal suffixes like ike ak,etc... (kiifak) means: how are you, masculine, singular.

170 Spoken Lebanese

(inti) is a feminine singular pronoun.

Please note that in the leb. dialect the feme pI. proneand pronominal suffixes are replaced by the masc. pI. proneand pronominal suffixes. The dual prone are replaced bythe masc. pI. pronouns. In all examples of the explanatory notes, I used the masc. sing. form.

PRONOUNS

he, himshe, herthey, themyou (masc. sing.)you (fem. sing.)you (mase. & feme pI.)I, mewe, us

PRONOMINAL SUFFIXES

huwwehiyyihinniintaintiintuananiHna

When pronominal suffixes are added to a noun theyindicate possession, e.g. baytak (your home, masc. sing.),ismak (your name, masc. sing.); when added to a verb theyare considered direct or indirect objects of that verb. e.g.feefak (he saw you).

u masc. sing. (his) baytu ismua feme sing.(her) bayta ismaun masc. & feme pI.(your) baytun ismunak mase. sing. (your) baytak ismakik feme sing. (your) baytik ismikkun masc. & feme pI. (your) baytkun ismkuni (my) hayti ismina (our) baytna ismna

SOME USEFUL INTERROGATIVES

Appendix 171

howhow muchhow manywhatwhowherewhenwhichwhywhat does it meanwhat is your namewhat is this

kiif'iddayfkam waaHadfumiinwaynaymtaayyalayffu ya9niJu ismak (masc. sing)fu hayda


yesnoif possibleif you pleaseperhapscorrect, trueof coursewrong, incorrectthank youa reply to fukran

my name isI wantheregive mea littlea lotlater

na9amla'iza mumkin9muul ma9ruufbijuuzSaHiiHTab9anGaiaTJukran9afwan (do not mention it,you are welcome)ismibaddihawne9Tiinifway, nitfektiirba9deen

172 Spoken Lebanese

NATIONALITIES

AmericanAustralianBritishCanadianFrenchGermanLebanesePolishRussianSpanish

amerkeeniustraaliingliizikanadifrinseewiulmaanilibneenipoloniruusispanyoli

Chapter Two: Socializing & Family Members

DEMONSTRATIVES

this, masc. sing.

this, feme sing.

these, masc. & fern. pI.

those, masc. & feme pI.

CONJUNCTION

hayda, e.g. hayda *saliim(this is *saliim)haydi, e.g. haydi *samia(this is *samia)hawdi, e.g. hawdi *samiaw*saliim (these are *samiaand *saliim)hawdiik,e.g. hawdiik *samiaw*saliim

and

SOCIALIZING

welcomecome on in

/w/ e.g. *saliim w*saami(*saliim and *saami)

ahla wsahlatfaDDal

nice to meet yougood byereply to good byehappycup of coffeecup of tealet's gohurry up

tfarrafnabxaatrakma9-ssaleeme (go with peace)mabsuuTfinjeen I ahwefinjeen Saayyallayalla yalla, 9ajjil

Appendix 173

FAMILY MEMBERS & RELATIVES

fathermotherbrothersistersondaughtergrand fathergrand motheruncle

aunt

cousin (masc.)cousin (fern.)brother-in-lawmother-in-lawdaughter-in-lawparents

bayy, bayyeet (pI.)imm, immeet (pI.)xayy, ixwe (pL)uxt, xayyeet (pL)ibn, wleed (pI.)bint, baneet (pL)jid, jduud (pL)sit, sitteet (pL)9amm (paternal side) , 9muum (pI.)xeel, (maternal side) xweel (pL)9ammi (paternal side), 9ammeet (pI.)xeele ( maternal side), xeleet (pL)ibn 9amm or ibn xaalbint 9amm or bint xaalSuhr, Shuuraat (pL)Hama, Hamaweet (pI.)kinni, kneeyin (pL)ahl


lady, Mrs.Misssir, mister

madaammadmuzeelxaweeja

174 Spoken Lebanese

Chapter Three: Dates & Numbers

CARDINAL NUMBERS

Numbers from 11 on are followedby the singular form of the nounthey modify, e.g. 9ifriin bayt.

Numbers from 11-19 take larlbefore the noun they modify, e.g.xamsta9far bayt.

Numbers from 3-10 are followedby the plural form of the nounthey modify. They also lose theirfinal vowel before than noun, e.g.xams byuut,9afr se9aat

one

two

threefourfivesixseveneightnineteneleventwelvethirteenfourteenfifteensixteenseventeeneighteennineteentwentytwenty onetwenty twothirtythirty onefortyfiftysixtyseventyeightyninety

waaHad (does not modify nouns, it onlyfollows a noun for emphasis).tnayn (does not modify nouns, use dualform instead as seen before).tleetearb9axamsesittesab9atmeenetis9a9afraHda9ftna9ftletta9farba9ta9fxamsta9fsitta9fsaba9ta9ftmenta9ftisa9ta9f9ifriinwaaHad w9ifriintnayn w9ifriin...tletiinwaaHad witletiin...arb9iinxamsiinsittiinsab9iintmeniintis9iin

hundredhundred onehundred two...two hundredthree hundredthousandmillionbillion

ORDINAL NUMBERS

miyyimiyyi wwaaHadmiyyi witnaynmitayntleet miyyialfmalyuunmilyaar

Appendix 175

firstsecondthirdfourthfifthsixthseventheighthninethtenthlast

awwal (masc.), uula (fern.)teeni / teenyeteelit/ teelteraabi9 / raab9axeemis / xeemseseedis / seedseseebi9 / seeb9ateemin / teemneteesi9 / tees9ageefir / geefraeexir

Ordinal numbers after tenth are not communly used,they are replaced by the word "ra'm" which means number followed by a cardinal number after the singular formof the noun, e.g. "bayt ra'm Hda9f", house number eleven,instead of the eleventh house.

FRACTIONS AND EXPRESSIONS RELATED TO NUMBERS

quarterthirdhalfa littlea lotminus

rib9tiltnuSSSway, nitfektiirilIa

176 Spoken Lebanese

DAYS OF THE WEEK (ayyaam l'usbuu9)

day yawm, nhaarweek jim9a, usbuu9

Sunday l'aHad Thursday lxamiisMonday ttanayn Friday Ijim9aTuesday ttaleeta Saturday ssabetWednesday l'urb9a

MONTHS OF THE YEAR (afhur-ssini)

month Jahryear sini

January kaanuun-tteeniFebruary JbaaTMarch azaarApril niseenMay ayyaarJune HzayraanJuly tammuuzAugust aabSeptember ayluulOctober tiJriinl'awwalNovember tiJriin-tteeniDecember kaanuun-l'awwal

THE SEASONS (alfuSuul)

Season faSIWinter ffitiSpring rrabii9Summer SSayfFall lxariif

EXPRESSIONS RELATED TO TIME

Appendix 177

momentsecondminutenowlatertodaytomorrowyesterdayeveningnightmorningnoonweek-end

laHZatakkid'ii'ahalla'ba9deenlyawmbukrambeeriH9afiyyi, lmasalaylSubHDuhrwiikend


welcome backtriplongalmostaircraftschoolbecausegreathereclass, coursearound, aboutalmostafterbeforeit is a must

IHamdilla 9a-ssaleemesafra, raHleTawiilta'riibanTiyyaaramadrasi, madeeris (pI.)li'annu9aZiimhawnSaff, Sfuuf (pI.)Haweele, fita'riibanba9dlablleezim

Chapter Four: Telephone & Post Office

178 Spoken Lebanese

AT THE POST OFFICE (markaz-Ibariid)

addressairmailcertifiedemployeeenvelope

heavyimportantin order toit dependsletterlightmailmailboxpackagepostcardscalesenderstampsvalueweighwindow

ON THE PHONE

availableanswering machineat any ratebusyinternationallinemaybemessageoperator

9inwaanjawwimsawgar, maDmuunmwaZZaf, mwaZfiin (pI.)mGallaf, mGallfeet (pl.); Zarf,Zruufe (pI.)t'iilmhimmHattaHasabmaktuub, mketiib (pI.)xafiifbariidSanduu'-lbariidpakee, 9ilbe, Tardkart postaalmizeenmursilTawaabi9, wara' buul'iimewaznfibbeek

mawjuudmsajjle, repondeur9ala kil HaalmafGuulduwalixaTTmumkin, bijuuzxabarsantralist

phone callpublic phonestatictelephone bookto dialto hang up

to pick up receiveruntilvoice

muxaabaraheetif 9muumitiJwiiJdaliil-IhaatifTalab-rra'msakkar-lxaTT, TabaJssemmee9arafa9-ssemmee9aHattaSawt

Appendix 179

Chapter Five: Biographical Information& Means of Transportation

BIOGRAPHY

ageblackblondbrownbuildingdivorcededucatedemployeeheightidentitymarriedphotoprofessionshortsinglestudenttallweightwhitework

9umraswad, sawda (fern.)af'ar, fa'ra (fern.)asmar, samra (fem.) olive skinbineeyemTalla', mTall'a (fern.)mit9allimmwaZZafTuulhawiyyemjawwaz, mjawwze (fern.)SuuramihniI aSiir, I aSiire (fern.)a9zab, 9azbe (fern.)TaalibTawiil, Tawiile (fem.)waznabyaD, bayDa (fern.)JuGl, waZiife

180 Spoken Lebanese

ChristianDruzeJewishMaroniteMoslemShiiteSunni

masiiHidirziyehuudimaruunimislimfii9isinni

MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION

air, spacebicyclelandroadseatravelaircraftairportboatbusdriverfastline, routemotorcycleparkingpassengerportporterroad lightrocketseatslowsmall boattaxitickettire

jaww, faDabisikleetarD, barrTarii'baHrsafarTiyyaramaTaarmarkab, babor, beexraotobuusfofrersarii9xaT, xTuuT (pI.)motosiklparkin, maw'afreekib, rikkeeb (pl.)por, marfa'9itteel, 9ittele (pI.)ifaara, ifaraat (pI.)Saruuxrna'9ad, rna'ee9id (pI.)baTii'faxturataksitiket, biTaa'a, tazkaraduleeb, dweliib (pI.)

to declareto driveto beepto braketo pass

to reserveto stopto waittrain

Appendix 181

SarraHsaa', ysuu' (imperf.)zammar (to beep the horn)Darab freem'aTa9, dawbal (it also means torepeat an academic year).Hajazwa"afnaTartreen


arrivalarrowbathroomclaimcustomsdelaydooremergencyemptyforeignerfullhitch-hikingkeymappassportpriceprohibitedseatsmokingsuitcasevisawindwindow

wuSuulsihm, fleefHimmeem'asiimejamaarikti'xiirbeeb, bweeb (pI.)Tawaari'faaDiajnabirnitleenotostoprnifteeHxaarTapaspor, jawaaz safarsi9rmamnuu9rna'9adtidxiinfanTaviza, ta'fiirit duxuulhawafibbeek, fbebiik (pI.)

182 Spoken Lebanese

Chapter Six: Directions & Road Conditions

COLORS. Adjectives of color follow the noun they modify.

Masc. Fem. PI.

beige beejblack aswad sawda suudblue azra' zar'a zir'brown binni binniyyigold dihabigreen axDar xaDra xuDrgray rmeedi rmeediyyinavy blue kiHli kiHliyyiorange bird'aanipink zahrred aHmar Hamra Humrsilver fuDDiviolet banafsajiwhite abyaD bayDa biiDyellow aSfar Safra Sufr

DIRECTIONS

above faw'after ba9dbehind wara, xalfbefore 'ablclose 'ariibdown taHtfar b9iidhere hawnin front iddeeminside juwwa, inside something: bi'alb, e.g.

bi'alb-Ibayt: inside the housenear Hadd, janb

onoutsidethereup

ROAD CONDITIONS

cleancheck pointdangerousdirtyemptyholeicylittermiddlenarrowpavedsafesideslipperyticketwide

9alabarrahuniikfaw'

nDiif, nDiife (fem.)HeejizxuTramijwi, mijwiyye (fem.)faaDe, faaDye (fem.)juura, juwar (pI.)mjallad, mjallde (fem.)zbeelenuSSDayyi', Dayy'a (fem.)mzaffat, mzaffatte (fern.)eemneTarafbitzaHHitZabT9ariiD, 9ariiDa (fern.);weesi9, wees9a (fem.)

Appendix 183


behindbigbuildingcenterendexcuse meexitfarfirst of all

warakbiirbineeye, bineyeet (pl.)markaz, maraakiz (pl.)eexirbil'znmafra', mafeeri' (pI.)b9iidawwal Ji

184 Spoken Lebanese

flagfloorfortresshighwaynearnext tonevermunicipalitypublic squareroadsignsmallto the leftto the righttowardstraffic jamwhen

9alamTaabi', Twaabi' (pI.)'al9a, 'lee9 (pI.)otostraad'ariibHaddabadanbaladiyyeseeHa, seHaat (pI.)Tarii', Turu' (pI.)aarma, armaat (pI.)zGiir9aJJmeei9alyemiinSawb9aj'it sayrlamma (not interrogative)

Chapter Seven: Food & Nutrition

FOOD (akl)

Vegetables (xuDra)

artichokeasparagusbeens (green)

(kidney)(lima)

beetcabbagecarrotcauliflowercorncucumbereggplant

arDiJJawkehalyuunluubye xaDrafaSulyafaSulya 9ariiDaJmandarmalfuufjazararnabiiTdaraxyaarbatinjeen

Appendix 185

leeks sil'lentils 9adaslettuce xassonion baSalpotato baTaTarice ruzzspinach sbeenixsquash kuusatomato banaduura

Meats (laHm)

beef ba'archicken djeejduck baTTfish samakfrog Dafaadi9lamb Ganamveal 9ijl

Fruits (fweeke)

almond lawzapple tiffeeHapricot miJmuJbanana mawzcherry karazfig tiingrape 9inablemon laymuun HaamuDmelon fimmeemolive zaytuunorange laymuunpeach dirraa'pear njaaS

186 Spoken Lebanese

plumtangerinewatermelon

Spices (bharaat)

garlicmintmustardparsleypeppersaltsesame

xawxafandibaTTiiX

tuumna9na9xardalba'duunisbhaarmilHsimsum

AT THE RESTAURANT (bil-maT9am)

ashtraybreadchaircupdishforkglassknifenapkinoilsaltshakerspoontabletableclothevinegar

manfDaxibzkirsefinjeenSaHnJawkekibbeeyesikkiinfuuTazaytmamlaHamal9'aTaawlefarfafxall

BEVERAGES (maJrubeet)

beerjuice

biira9aSiir

lemonademilkwaterwine

laymunaaDaHaliibmayynbiid

Appendix 187

PERSONAL REACTIONS

disgustedfullhungrystarvingthirsty

'irfeenfib9aanjuu9aanmxawwar9aTfaan

OTHER FOOD RELATED VOCABULARY

bakedboiledbreastbuttercakecheeseeggsflourfriedgrilledlegliverpeanutspickleswingsyeastyogurt

bilfurnmasluu'SudrzibdegatojibnebayDTHiinmi'lemifwefaxd'aSbefistu'kabiisjweeniHxamiirelaban


apetizers mezeet

188 Spoken Lebanese

big platebottlebreakfastbusychoppingcolddinnerdishfreshgreathotif possibleinsteadinvitationitems, thingsnever mindreadysaladtabletimewaiter

jaaT, juuT (pI.)'anniinitirwii'amafGuulfarmbeerid9afaSaHn, SHuun (pI.)Taaza9aZiimsuxniza mumkinbadl, maTraH9aziimeifyabasiiTaHaaDirsalaTaTaawlewa'tgarson, meetr

Chapter Eight: Clothing

MAN'S CLOTHING (malbuseet rijjeliyye>

bathing suitbeltbootsbowtiebriefsgloveshandkerchiefhatjacketjeansnecktie

mayo'faaTbotpapiyonsliipkfuufmaHrame, mHeerim (pI.)burnaytTajakeet, jaketeet (pI.)jiinzkravaat

pajamaspantsraincoatsandalssneekerssuitsuspendersT-shirtundershirttuxedovestwallet

pijaamapantalontranfkotSundaal, Snadiil (pI.)spadriTa'm, T'uume (pI.)bruteleettifrertfanellasmokinSudriyyemaHfZa

Appendix 189

WOMAN'S CLOTHING (malbuseet nisweniyye)

blousebrachange pursecoatdressevening gownfur coathigh heelpantyhosescarfshoesskirtslip fullsockssuitunderwear

FABRICS ('meef)

cashmerecottonflannel

bluuzeSudriyye, Sdaari (pI.)jizdeen zGiirkabbuut, kbebiit (pI.)fusTaan, fsaTiin (pI.)fustaan tawiil, fustaan sahrakabbuut faruka9b 9aalikollanifarpskarbiinetannuura, tneniir (pI.)kombinezonkalseettayyrerkilot

kafmiir'uTunfanella

190 Spoken Lebanese

gabardineleathernylonpolyestersilkwool

SIZES (~yeseet)

biglongmediumshortsmalltightwide

gavardiinjildnaylonpolyesterHariirSuuf

kbiirTawiilwasaT'aSiirzGiirDayyi'weesi9; 9ariiD


appointmentclosetconfusedear ringsformalfullhairdresserideanecklesspairpartyperhapsprettypursesleevesuitablesweater

maw9adxzeene, xzeneet (pI.)meHtaar, meHtaara (fem.)Hala'rasmimitleen, mitleene (fem.)Hillaa'fikra, afkaar (pI.)9a'd, 9'uude (pI.)jawzHafle, Hafleetbarki,Helu, Hilwe (fem.)jizdeenkimxarjkanze

Appendix 191

Chapter Nine: Health & Medical Problems

THE HUMAN BODY (jism-l'inseen)

Sing. PI.(rnost common)

ankle keeHil kweeHilback Dahrbladder mabwaleblood dammbody jism ajseembone 9aDme 9Daambrain nxaa9 nxa9aatbreast Sudr Sduuracheek xadd xduudchest Sudrchin da'n d'uunear dayne dinaynelbow kuu9 kwee9eye 9ayn 9yuunface wijj wjeehfinger uSbi9 'Sabii9foot ijrgum niirehand iid ayeedehead raas ruusheart 'alb 'luubhip wirk wraakjaw fakjoint mafSal mafaSilkidney kilwe kleeweknee rikbe rikableg faxd fxaadlip Jiffe Jfeefliver kibid kbeedlung riyya raweeya

192 Spoken Lebanese

mouth timm tmeemmuscle 9aDai 9aDalaatnail Dufr Dafiirneck ra'be r'eebnerve 9aSab a9Saabnose munxaar mnexiirshoulder kitf kteefskin jild jluudstomach baTn, mi9dithroat zla9iim, Hunjra Haneejirvein 9ir', firyeen 9ruu', frayiin

COMMOM ILLNESSES

blood pressurecoldconstipationcoughdiarrheadizzinessinfectioninflammationinsomniaheartburnhemorrhage

DaGt (9aali: high; waaTi: low)rafHimseek, kteemsa9lesheeldawxailtiheebwaram'ala'Har'anaziif

SOME SERIOUS ILLNESSES

AIDScancerdiabetesheart attackjaundiceparalysistuberculosis

sidasaraTaansikkarikriza bil'albSfayrafalalsill

Appendix 193

ulcer 'irHa

SOME HANDICAPS

Masc. Fern. PI.

blind a9ma 9amya 9imyeencross-eyed aHwal Hawla Huulcrazy axwat, xawta, xuut,

majnuun majnuune mjeniindeaf aTraf Tarfa Turflame a9raj 9arja 9irjmute axras xarsa xirsparalyzed mafluul mafluule mafluliin

SOME INJURIES

fracture kisrligament sprain falfit 9ruu'sprain fikf

VACCINES (Tu9m)

measlesmumpspoliosmallpox

HaSbibuk9aybfalaljidri


accidentambulancebodyfeverfeverishhospital

Haadis, Haweedis (pI.)is9aafjisffi, badanHaraaramaHruurmistaffa

194 Spoken Lebanese

it looksmedicationpainphysiciansick

mbayyandawa, idwye (pI.)waja9, awjee9 (pI.)Hakiim, doktrersaaxin, mariiD

Chapter Ten: Professions & Careers

SKILLED WORKERS

bakerbarberblacksmithbutchercarpenterelectricianplumbershoe repairtaylortile layer

furraanHillee'HiddeedlaHHaamnijjaarkihrabjisangarikindarjixiyyaaTbullaaT

OTHER PROFESSIONALS (miHtirfiin)

engineerjournalistlawyernurseofficerprofessorphysicianpilot

mhandisSaHaafimuHaamimmarriDZaabiTprofesrerdoktrer, HakiimTiyyarji

ARTISTS (finneniin)

artist finneen

musicianpainterphotographerpoetsculptorsingerwriter

musi'aarrisseemmSawwirfee9ir, fu9ara (pI.)niHHaatmGanni, muTribkeetib

Appendix 195

POLITICIANS (siyasiyyi)

ambassadorconsuldeputygovernorjudgemayorministerpresident

safiir, sufara (pI.)'unSul, 'anaaSil (pI.)neeyib, nuwweeb (pI.)Heekim, muHaafiZ'aaDimuxtaarwaziir, wuzara (pI.)ra'iis


accountingbuilding sitecollegecompanyengineeringfamilyhigh schoolinsurancelawmedicinemeetingschooluniversitywork

muHeesabiwarfe, wiraf (pI.)killiyyifirke, firkeet (pI.)handasi9ayle, 9iyal (pI.)sanawiyyeDamaanH'uu'Tubbijtimee9madrasi, madeeris (pI.)jeem9a, jeem9aat (pI.)fuGI

196 Spoken Lebanese

Chapter Eleven: Housing & LivingConditions

THE HOUSE (al-bayt)

balconybathroombellceilingconcretedining roomdoorfloorgardeninsidekeykitchenliving roommadxaloutsideroofroomstonewindowwood

ApPLIANCES

dishwasherdryerfreezerjuicermicrowaverefrigeratorstovetelevision

balkonHimmeemjarassa'fbaTon'uDit-ssufrabeeb, bweeb (pI.)arDjnaynejuwwamifteeH, mfetiiH (pI.)maTbaxdaarentrancebarrasaTH'uuDa, 'uwaD (pI.)Hajarfibbeek, fbebiik (pI.)xafab

jilleeyeniffeefetilleeje9iSSaaramikro'ondbirraadfurntelevizyon

Appendix 197

washer Gisseele

FURNITURE (farf, 9aff> and others

bed taxt, txuuti (pI.)chair kirsi, karaasi (pI.)couch Sofacup finjeen, fnejiin (pI.)fork fawke, fuwak (pI.)glass kibbeeyeknife sikkiin, skekiin (pI.)spoon mal9'atable Taawle

BEDDING

blanket Hreemcomforter IHeefmatress farfe, firaf (pI.)pillow mxaddesheet Jarfaf, faraaJif (pI.)

THE BATHROOM

bathtub maGTasbidet bidefaucet Hanafiyyetoilet twaleettoilet paper wara' twaleettoilet tank sifontowel manfafesink maGsale

CLEANING TOOLS

broom miknse

198 Spoken Lebanese

brushbucketmopshovelsponge

firfeeyedalumamsHamajruudsfinje


alwaysapartmentelectricityelevatorentranceexpensesfurnitureguesthair dryerheatingjanitormaidmaintenanceneighborhoodnewoldout of orderownerparkingrentshelfstairstenantwall

deeymanfi"a, fi'a' (pI.)kahrabaasonsrermadxalmSariiffarf, 9affDayf, Dyuuf (pI.)sefwaarfofaajnaTuur, nwaTiir (pI.)Saan9a, Sunnee9 (pI.)SiyaaniHayy, iHya (pI.)jdiid'adiimmif meefiSaaHib-Imilkgaraajajaarraffdarajmista'jirHayT, HiTaan (pI.)

Chapter Twelve: Hobbies & LeisureActivities

Appendix 199

SPORTS (riyaaDa)

basketballboxinggamegolfjudokarateping pongskiingsoccerswimmingtennisvolleyballwater skiwrestlingto be evento loseto win

basketbol, kurat-ssallamuleekame, boksmatS, mubaraatgolfjudokaratepinpon, kurat-TTaawleskifutbol, kurat-IQadamsbeeHatenis, kurat-lmaDribvolibol, kurat-TTaa'iraskinotiik, tazalluj 9almaymuSaara9atgeedalxisirribiH

HOBBIES (hiwayeet) & LEISURE ACTIVITIES (tasliye)

actingcorrespondencedancingdivingdrawingfishinghorseback ridinghuntingrunningsculptingsingingstamp collectingswimmingtravelling

timsiilmureesalera'SGaTstuSwiir, rasmSayd-ssamakrikb-IxaylSaydrakDnaHtGinajam9 Tawaabi9sbeeHasafar

200 Spoken Lebanese

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

accordionfluteguitarorganpianoviolin

akkordeyonnaaygitaarorgpyanovyolon, kamanja


exhibitionfamousgamehotelmovieplaceplayingseatsimilarstadium, fieldstressteamtheater playvoice

ma9raD, ma9aariD (pI.)mafhuurmatIoteelfilmmaTraH, maTaariH (pI.)li9brna'9ad, rna'ee9id (pI.)mitlmal9ab, malee9ib (pI.)HaSrfarii', fira' (pI.)masraHiyyeSawt

Chapter Thirteen: Mishaps & Offenses

CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (jaraayim, muxelafeet>

beatingfightingkidnappinglyingmurderrape

DarbmaIkal, 9arkexaTfkizb,atl, jariimeiGtiSaab

theftthreatvandalism

sir'atihdiidtixriib

Appendix 201

CRIMINALS (mujrimiin)

crookcriminalgangthief

JUSTICE (9adl)

courtjudgelawyerwitness

az9armujrim9iSaabesirree', Haraami

maHkame'aaDimuHaamifeehid

ACCIDENTS (Haweedis)

damagedrowningearthquakeflood

xaraabGara'hazze, zilzeelfayaDaan


afraidcrimedistanceexpertfirehighhumaninformationinjured

xeeyif, fiz9aanjariime, jaraayim (pI.)maseefexabiir, xubara (pI.)Harii'a, naargeeleinseenma9lumeetjariiH, jirHa (pI.)

202 Spoken Lebanese

ladderlowpeoplereportsafetysituationsmokewar

sillum, sleelim (pl.)waaTenees, 9aalamti'riir, ta'ariir (pI.)amnHeeledaxne, dixxaanHarb

Chapter Fourteen: Nature & Climate

ELEMENTS (maweed)

firesoil, earthwaterwind

NATURE (Tabii9a)

beachcreekflowergrasslakemudplainriversandseaskytreevalleywaves

naartraab, arDmayyhawa

faT, plaajsee'yezahra, zhuur (pl.).HafiifbuHayrawaHlsahlnahr, anhur (pl.).ramIbaHrsama, jawwsajra, sajar (pl.).waadimawj

WEATHER

cloudcoldfrosthailhot, warmlightningstormthunder

Gaymbardjliidbaradfawbbar'9aaSfera9d

Append IX 203

ADJECTIVES DESCRIBING THE SEA

calmcleandangerousdirtypollutedwavy

reeyi', heedenDiifxuTirwusix, mwassaxmlawwasheeyij


betterbirthdayclimatecoldespeciallyfeastfoghealthyhistorical siteshistoryhothumidity

aHla, aHsan9iid mileedmaneexSa'9a (related to weather)xSuuSan9iidGTayTaSuHHiasaraatteriixfawb (related to weather)rTuube

204 Spoken Lebanese

moon Jamar

mountain jabalnew jdiidold Jadiimplanet kawkabsometimes aw'eetstar nijmesun famsvillage Day9a

Chapter XV: Courtesy Expressions &Interjections

HAPPY OCCASIONS (afraaH)

Engagement (xuTbe)

• mabruuk• xuTbe mbaarake

congratulationsmay your engagement be blessed

Wedding (zaweej, 9urs)

• mabruuk ya 9ariis• mabruuk ya 9aruus• nfalla btithannu• kil iyyeemkun afraaH

9a'beelak, 9a'beelik....

Birth (wileede)

• mabruuk-TTufl• *alla y9ayyfu• nfalIa byislam

congratulations groomcongratulations bridewishing you happinessmay all your days be happymay your turn come

congratulations on the babymay God give him a long lifemay God keep him safe

Baptism, Christening (9meede)

• 9meede mbaarke may this baptism be blessed

Appendix 205

• nfalla bit9ammdu-I'ixwe may you baptize the siblings

Return from pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)

• Hajj mabruurwsa9y mafkuur

may your pilgrimage be blessedand your ritual walk be praiseworthy

Success in business, career, or exam (najeeH)

• mabruuk• tahaniina• *alla ywaffi'

Holidays (a9yeed)

congratulationsour best wishesmay God grant you success

• kil 9iid w'inta bxayr

• 9iid mbaarak

may every holiday you bein good healthhappy (blessed) holiday

SAD OCCASIONS (aHzeen)

Accidents, tragedies (Haweedis, kaweeris)

• IHamdilla 9assaleeme• *alla ySabbirkun• *alla y'awwikun• mniiH-lmif a9Zam

Sickness (maraD)

• saleemtak• *alIa yiffiik

• *alla y'addimlakSSuHHa

thank God for your safetymay God give you patiencemay God give you strengthlucky it was not worse

wishing you feel bettermay God give you a speedyrecoverymay God improve yourhealth

206 Spoken Lebanese

Death (mawt)

• *alla yirHamu• 19awaD bisaleemtak

• inna lillaah• ta9aazina

may God have mercy on himmay you be compensated byyour well-beingwe belong to Godour condolences

OTHER SOCIAL OCCASIONS

(munesabeet ijtimee9iyye>

Going on a trip (safar)

• *alla ykuun ma9ak• nfalla tuSal bissaleeme• safra mwaff'a• truuH wtirja9

bissaleeme

may God be with youmay you arrive safelyhave a successful tripmay you go andreturn safely

Return from a trip (rjuu9 min-ssafar)

• IHamdilla 9awSuulak bissaleemethank God for your safe arrival

Moving to a new home (na'liyye)

• na'liyye mbaarke hope this move was a blessed one• mabruuk-Ibayt congratulations on the house

Coming out of the shower (duuS) or the barbershop (Hillee')

• na9iiman

At the table (9al'akl)

• Sahtayn

hope you enjoyed it

enjoy your food, bon appetit

• keesak• sufra deeyme

Append ix 207

cheers, to your healthmay your table be alwaysbountiful (at the end of the meal)

If someone sneezes (9aTas)

• SuHHa• naJu

healthelation

If someone is wearing new clothes,or acquiring something new.

• mabruuk (lfustaan, ljizdeen, etc...) congratulations

INTERJ ECTIONS

aHaaxbasnya9'ooftfehTuzyallayaayxay9ayb

reacting to something cold or hotexpressing painenoughexpressing disgustsigh of boredom or annoyancedisgust or anger (similar to spitting)big deal, see if I carecome on, move it, hurry upexcitement, admirationsigh of relief, or smelling good aromashame, disgrace

BODY LANGUAGE

Raising eyebrows, head or shoulders is a negativeanswer. This may be accompanied by the sound Itsel ,produced by the tongue rubbing roughly backward on theupper teeth and the palate.

Nodding head and raising eyebrows is a sign of admiration. This may be accompanied by the sound fbi]f .

208 Spoken Lebanese

IN D EX

The following is a list of all the verbs covered in thebook. Verbs in bold character have been conjugated in theGrammar Notes Section of the corresponding chapter.

Chapter II: Socializing and Family Members

to be honoredto come into drinkto introduceto like, to loveto thank

tfarraftfaDDalJirib9arrafHabbJakar

Chapter III: Dates and Numbers

to arriveto beto enjoyto enterto goto haveto returnto startto stay

wuSilkeennbasaTfeetraaHma9 or 9ind + pronominal suffixesriji9ballafbi'i

Chapter IV: Telephone and Post Office

to be lostto contactto doto giveto hear

Daa9ttaSal9imil9aTasimi9

to leaveto phone, to callto putto raise, to liftto sayto sendto speakto wantto wantto weigh

taraktalfanHaTT9allaleelba9atHikiraadbaddwazan

Index 209

Chapter V: Biographical Information andMeans of Transportation

to bet, to negotiateto be ableto cometo resideto spendto taketo useto work

faaraTlidirijasakanmaDDaaxadsta9malftaGal

Chapter VI: Directions and Road Conditions

to askto continueto crossto exit, to go upto go downto guide, to showto find, to meetto knowto loseto pay attentionto see

sa'alkaffalaTa9Tuli9nizildalllee'a9irifDayya9ntabahfeet

210 Spoken Lebanese

to slow downto stop

xaffafwa"af

Chapter VII: Food and Nutrition

to bringto chop, to minceto eatto inviteto orderto preferto prepare

jeebfaramakal9azamamarfaDDalHaDDar

Chapter VIII: Clothing

to becometo be confusedto be invitedto cutto fix, to repairto forgetto liveto load upto matchto meet withto preferto travelto wear

SaarHtaarn9azam'aSSZabbaTnisigeeSHammallibi'tlee'afaDDalseefarlibis

Chapter IX: Health and Medical Problems

to appearto be hurtingto believeto coughto describe

bayyanwiji9Sadda', 9ta'adsa9alwaSaf

to dieto feelto hurt, to injureto limpto prescribeto sleepto stay too longto stitch, to sewto woundto x-ray, to draw

meetHassrawwaH9arajwaSafneemTawwal'aTTabjaraHSawwar

Index 211

Chapter X: Professions and Careers

to be a candidateto conveyto finishto graduateto leaveto presentto protectto remain, to stayto specializeto study

'addam 9ala...waSSalxallaStxarrajtarak'addamHimiDaIItxaSSaSdaras

Chapter XI: Housing and Living Conditions

to agree withto blame, to mindto blessto congratulateto enjoyto furnishto pass byto payto showto sit, to stay

ttafa'weexazbeerakbeerakthannafarafmara'dafa9farjaJ a9ad

212 Spoken Lebanese

to stop wa"af

Chapter XII: Hobbies and Leisure Activities

to applaudto attend, to watchto be ableto be lateto changeto dineto letto play an instrumentto reserveto return somethingto singto thinkto watch

za"afHuDir'idirt'axxarGayyart9aJJaxallada"

HajazraddGannafakkartfarraj

Chapter XIII: Mishaps and Offenses

to appearto be caughtto become distantto belongto extinguishto fear, to be afraidto inspectto jumpto putto requestto riskto save someoneto try

Some incomplete verbs

Zahar9ili'bi9idxaSSTaffaxaafkaJafnaTTHaTTTalabxaaTarxallaSjarrab

Chapter XIV: Nature and Climate

Index 213

to be boredto believe someoneto decideto get coldto playto smellto swimto undergo changesto visit

DujirSadda'larrarSa"a9li9ibfammtsabbaHtGayyarzaar

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spken arabic from lebanon

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